Adverse Childhood Experiences Education

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-18 years) such as neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, and having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Also included are aspects of a child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with substance use; mental health problems; or instability due to parental separation or incarceration of a parent, sibling or other member of the household. Importantly, these examples do not comprise an exhaustive list of all childhood adversities, as there are other potentially traumatic experiences, such as bullying, experiencing racism, and the death of a parent, that can also impact health and wellbeing

ACEs can be measured using a simple questionnaire. Your results will be measured between zero and ten, with a higher ACES score indicating a more traumatic childhood. To take an ACEs test, press HERE!

Child Abuse Centers of Montana is one of the primary providers of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Training for the state of Montana, along with our colleagues at Childwise. ACEs Master Trainer, Teresa Nygaard, has provided trainings and workshops virtually and in person throughout Montana for Schools, CASA Advocates, Social Service Agencies, Law Enforcement, Service Clubs and at the State Child Abuse and Neglect Conference. We all need to know about and understand the impact of ACES in order to ensure safe, stable and nurturing environments because childhood lasts a lifetime.

You can learn more about ACEs and their impact on childhood development by selecting this link or listening to the video below.