ACEs, Toxic Stress, Inflammation, and Adversity

Chances are, you’ve heard about ACEs and Toxic Stress, whether it be in a medical journal or in the media. It can be difficult as a pediatric healthcare practitioner to distill the vast amount of information available into a working knowledge base that’s useful and important in practice. Unfortunately, it’s easy to find misleading or incorrect information about these subjects. Here, we provide the key concepts behind ACEs, toxic stress, and associated inflammatory responses. We also introduce and discuss the concept of adversity. When we began learning about and defining adversity, many of us thought about important factors like poverty, child maltreatment, and caregiver depression or addiction. We’ve broadened our understanding to view other important systemic causes of adversity, including the unique threats of systemic racism.

Resources


A Guide to Toxic Stress
Third Party Link

A Guide to Toxic Stress

Learn More
Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children
Working Paper

Maternal Depression Can Undermine the Development of Young Children

Learn More
Strategies for Effectively Communicating about Toxic Stress
Reading

Strategies for Effectively Communicating about Toxic Stress

Learn More
InBrief: The Impact of Early Adversity on Children’s Development
Brief

InBrief: The Impact of Early Adversity on Children’s Development

Learn More
Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential
Reading

Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential

Learn More
The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress
Third Party Link

The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress

Learn More
Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science into Lifelong Health
Third Party Link

Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science into Lifelong Health

Learn More
Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity
Third Party Link

Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity

Learn More
Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health
Third Party Link

Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health

Learn More
Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain
Working Paper

Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain

Learn More
Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development
Working Paper

Persistent Fear and Anxiety Can Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development

Learn More
InBrief: The Science of Neglect
Brief

InBrief: The Science of Neglect

Learn More
The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain
Working Paper

The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain

Learn More
InBrief: Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems 
Brief

InBrief: Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems 

Learn More
Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems
Reading

Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems

Learn More
Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It
Third Party Link

Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It

Learn More
Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development
Third Party Link

Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development

Learn More
FrameWorks: Effectively Communicating about Toxic Stress
Third Party Link

FrameWorks: Effectively Communicating about Toxic Stress

Learn More
FrameWorks: Reframing Childhood Adversity
Third Party Link

FrameWorks: Reframing Childhood Adversity

Learn More
FrameWorks: Framing the Overload Metaphor
Infographic

FrameWorks: Framing the Overload Metaphor

Learn More
What We Can Do About Toxic Stress
Infographic

What We Can Do About Toxic Stress

Learn More
What Is Inflammation? And Why Does It Matter for Child Development?
Infographic

What Is Inflammation? And Why Does It Matter for Child Development?

Learn More
How Racism Can Affect Child Development
Infographic

How Racism Can Affect Child Development

Learn More
ACEs and Toxic Stress: Frequently Asked Questions
Infographic

ACEs and Toxic Stress: Frequently Asked Questions

Learn More
Special Considerations for Children in Foster Care
Reading

Special Considerations for Children in Foster Care

Learn More