ACEs are adverse childhood experiences that harm children’s developing brains so profoundly that the effects show up decades later; they cause much of chronic disease, most mental illness, and are at the root of most violence.

Brain science shows that, in the absence of protective factors, toxic stress damages children’s developing brains. People with high ACE scores are more likely to be violent, to have more marriages, more broken bones, more drug prescriptions, more depression, and more autoimmune diseases. People with an ACE score of 6 or higher are at risk of their lifespan being shortened by 20 years.  With help from caring adults, children also recover from this tolerable stress.

Click here to learn more about ACES and Resilience!