Vermont: Legislators to study ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES; how they affect children

Sept 27, 2017, The Vermont Commons: Breaking the vicious cycle of childhood trauma http://www.commonsnews.org/site/site05/story.php?articleno=26907&page=1 We are now understanding the long-lasting effects of adverse childhood experiences on the lives of Vermonters. How do we create a cultural shift to address the issue? … Now, mindful of a growing body of research that has taken place in the meantime, Vermont legislators and policymakers in Montpelier are seeking to better inform their fellow legislators and the general public as to the prevalence and effects of childhood trauma. Trauma effects spin like a snowball rolling downhill, keeping people trapped in poverty. The behaviors that result from that trauma lead to chronic health problems and, often, to early death. This cycle is accompanied by huge human suffering and astronomical monetary costs. Pretty bleak stuff, on one hand. On the other hand? The hope that anything we shine light on starts the process of change for the better. … The Vermont Agency of Human Services has started formulating a plan to look at adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a public-health problem in the same comprehensive way that smoking was addressed 50 years ago. …