ACEs are children with adverse developmental experiences. There are a large variety of factors that may contribute to the development of ACEs, and we’ve provided some tools below to help identify both the root causes and the ramifications of them.
Below are the ten most frequent signifiers of adverse childhood experiences:
1) Your parents or another adult:
- Swore at you
- Insulted you
- Humiliated you
- Acted in a way that made you feel physical harm
2) Your parents or another adult:
- Pushed you
- Slapped you
- Grabbed you
- Threw objects at you
- Hit you to the point of causing marks or injury
3) A parent or an adult at least 5 years older:
- Touch or fondle you
- Touch you in a sexual way
- Have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you
4) You felt that:
- Nobody in your family loved you
- Nobody in your family thought you were special or important
- Your family did not look after each other
- Your family did not feel close or support each other
5) You often felt that:
- You did not have enough to eat
- You had to wear dirty clothes
- Nobody was there to protect you
- Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you
- Your parents were too drunk or high to take you to a doctor when you needed it
6) Your parents were separated or divorced
7) Your mother or stepmother was:
- Pushed, grabbed, slapped or had objects thrown at her
- Kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with an object
- Repeatedly hit for at least a few minutes
- Threatened with a weapon
8) You lived with somebody who was an alcoholic or a drug addict
9) You lived with somebody who:
- Was depressed
- Was mentally ill
- Attempted suicide
10) You lived with somebody who had been to or was in prison
These life experiences are all significant and have long lasting effects. We’ve researched these effects at the Foundation for Peaceful Parenting and developed several data models regarding both the causes of ACEs and the benefits that implementing institutionalized support can have. Here are some of our findings below:
Types of Child Maltreatment:
Rates of Child Maltreatment by Age:
Increase in Longterm Health Problems Caused by ACEs:
Lifetime Cost Range of Childhood mistreatment:
Benefits of Programs:
