Source: “How to Implement Trauma-informed Care to Build Resilience to Childhood Trauma” by Jessica Bartlett and Kate Steber

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress during the early years

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) refer to negative, stressful and traumatic events that a child may experience or witness during childhood. Examples of Adverse Childhood Experiences include physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance use or mental health challenges, exposure to violence, and persistent family economic hardship.

When a child experiences frequent and/or prolonged adversity without the support of caring adults, they can experience what is known as ‘toxic stress’. Toxic stress is the excessive activation of stress response systems in the body and brain. Toxic stress weakens the foundation of a child’s developing brain, which can lead to lifelong problems in learning, behaviour, and physical and mental health.

How Early Childhood Experiences Affect Lifelong Health 

Trauma and children in foster care

Every child in foster care has experienced trauma. Not only do they suffer trauma from the circumstances that led to foster care in the first place, but they also experience trauma when they are separated from their parents, community and culture. At any age, it is traumatic for a child when they are removed from their home, family, familiar faces and neighbourhood. It is widely accepted that skin-to-skin contact between parents and their babies has significant health benefits for the infant. Physical contact and proximity to their parents is therefore crucial during a child’s early years. Attachment theory suggests that emotional distress and later health problems can be attributed to early childhood disruption of the parent-child bonding process.

The goal of caregivers should be to restore a child’s sense of safety and comfort. When children temporarily cannot live with their own family, foster caregivers step in and create a safe, secure and nurturing environment that responds to the child’s individual needs. Fostering children means helping them maintain contact with their family, community and culture with a view to reunification with their families or permanency. By understanding trauma, foster parents can help support a child’s healing, the parent-child relationship, and their family. A child’s recovery from trauma rests on having a supportive caregiving system, access to support, and service systems that are trauma-informed.

This figure is adapted from: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and Guidance for a trauma-informed approach. HHS publication no. (SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.