NONPROFIT
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Here’s how you can help children in the Coastal Bend community. By: SAMANTHA KOEPP-STEMPLINGER
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ccording to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, an estimated 62 percent of adults surveyed across 23 states reported that they had experienced one ACE during childhood, and nearly one-quarter reported that they had experienced three or more ACEs. These exposures can disrupt healthy brain development, affect social development, compromise immune systems and can lead to substance misuse and other unhealthy coping behaviors. ACEs, otherwise known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, happen when children under the age of 18 are exposed to a traumatic event. These experiences include:
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IT IS EASIER TO BUILD STRONG CHILDREN THAN TO REPAIR BROKEN MEN.”
• Neglect • Emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse • Emotional and/or physical household challenges • Mother treated violently • Substance abuse • Mental illness • Separation/divorce • Incarcerated household member (Source: https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_infographic.html) The significance of ACEs is that the way children view the world and their place in it begins with the treatment they receive from their caregivers, those responsible for their development and well-being, as well as the conditions to which they are exposed. These relationships and experiences are the basis for which children form their perception of themselves, and they determine how children navigate through the relationships cultivated throughout their lifetime. Such trauma at an early age may not only affect emotional development, but also influence behavior and impact physical health. Even more alarming is that a higher number of ACEs can predispose an individual to a reduction in
Please consider sharing opportunities for CASA of the Coastal Bend to provide presentations to your faith group, workplace, civic groups, homeowners’ association and/or group of friends. You can also invite others to attend 45-minute, non-committal information sessions held at the CASA office, 2602 Prescott, every Wednesday at 12 p.m. For more information, contact Diana at 361-884-2272 or diana@coastalbendcasa.org, or see more information online at www.coastalbendcasa.org or on Facebook (@coastalbendcasa).
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CASA
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