Adverse Childhood Experiences scores are typically very high for children who find themselves in the juvenile justice system. Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years of age).(1) ACEs are used to identify the amount of traumatic stress an individual has experienced. While it has gotten better in the past few years, there is not enough focus on a child’s trauma in the juvenile justice system.
The sum of the total number of categories (not incidents) that a child reports is their ACE score.(2) While these ACE scores can be tough to acknowledge, they serve as an important recognition point in children, parents, and families, which can help stop a negative generational trend and lead a child toward healing and hope.(3) Your own ACE score can help you understand and process some of your own struggles, as well as help you understand the needs of trauma-exposed children and adults. You can calculate an ACE score by following the link here.