AOA体育平台 and our community partners are working together to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children in the communities we serve.
What are adverse childhood experiences?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that happen during the first 18 years of life. One in four Maine children experience two or more ACEs in their home, community or school, such as:
- Exposure to addiction, violence or bullying
- Food insecurity and homelessness
- Abuse and neglect
- Death of a parent, parental separation or divorce
- Medical or mental illness
Children exposed to multiple ACEs can have higher rates of:
- Developmental delays and academic problems
- Anxiety, depression, or behavioral concerns
- Long-term health issues as adults
How can I help?
- Be Informed: Review the patient resources on this page so you can make an informed decision about next steps for your child.
- Ask for Help: Behavioral health treatments can reduce the negative effects of childhood trauma. Many AOA体育平台 medical practices offer access to behavioral health services right in the same office or close by. If you are concerned about your child, talk to your primary care or family medicine provider today.
Patient Resources
Resiliency
Reading Together
Parenting Through Challenges
Provider Resources
AOA体育平台 is committed to sharing ACEs knowledge and best practices across our health care system and beyond. Our goal is to help providers recognize and respond to all types of ACEs and trauma.
Realize. Recognize. Respond.
For more information, please contact the AOA体育平台 ACEs team at [email protected].
AOA体育平台 has created a free for providers that includes recommended screening questions and sample language to use when communicating with families and children.
Health care providers may also want to review our ACEs Provider Education Video Series co-hosted by Steve DiGiovanni, MD and Rebecca Brown, LCSW:
- (Part 1)
- (Part 2)
- Practice Strategies for Addressing ACEs - Webinar (Part 3)
Additional videos:
- : Maine Medical Center Grand Rounds
- : TedMed, Nadine Burke Harris, MD
- : Portland Defending Childhood
For more information, please contact the AOA体育平台 ACEs team at [email protected].
Several evidence-based trauma treatments have been shown to be successful in reducing the negative effects of childhood trauma and increasing resiliency in children. AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health offers expert trauma-related services for children (individually or with their parents or guardians) from on-the-scene crisis assistance to brief and long-term therapy programs such as:
- (TF-CBT)
Learn more about AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health.
Concerned about a patient who screened positive for ACEs?
AOA体育平台 behavioral health clinicians can help with:
- Assessment
- Further screening
- Treatment
- Community resources
- Individual and group therapy
- Family counseling
- Parent support
For more information, please contact the AOA体育平台 ACEs team at [email protected].
- : Oprah Winfrey reports on CBS on how trauma plays a role in childhood development and what new methods are being used to help kids who have experienced it.
The educational materials on this page may be displayed, copied, distributed or downloaded for personal or noncommercial uses, provided that such material is not altered or modified and that a reference to AOA体育平台 is provided.
The information shared on this page is intended to assist clinicians in standardizing the evaluation, diagnosis, and care of patients, with the goal of achieving optimal outcomes. The guidelines translate national recommendations and the best available evidence into local context.
Adherence to these guidelines should limit unwanted or unintended variation in practice, but guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive. The clinician retains the responsibility to select the appropriate guideline for a particular patient and to use the guideline to the extent that it serves the individual patient.
Any given approach must be carefully considered with each individual patient to ensure that an effective shared-decision-making process is in place, which reflects the patient's personal wishes, medical history, and family history.
Childhood Trauma Counseling Services
AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health provides trauma services for children (individually or with their parents or guardians) 鈥� from on-the-scene crisis assistance to long-term counseling and therapy.