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Andrew Turner
@andykturner
, 41 tweets, 18 min read Read on Twitter
There have been lots of critiques of adverse childhood experiences (#ACEs) approaches recently, so @PeopleValues and I have put together a thread of those we have found most useful
There are plenty of promotional materials and dedicated websites available on #ACEs too - found easily using a quick search on Twitter or Google - but critiques are not promoted as much and come from a variety of sources, so they can be more difficult to find
Please note that questioning or cautioning against particular aspects of the #ACEs movement doesn't mean we don't think it is important - generally we might just disagree on the most effective things to do and the evidence for them
(It's a bit like climate change - we all agree it needs sorting, but there are valid debates about what will work, what to focus on, whether individual-level things will make any real difference without societal changes, etc.)
If you cannot immediately access an article (especially academic ones) you can get in touch with the author and ask for a copy. Academics are usually perfectly happy to do this.
First, some blogs and articles discussing general concerns and cautions around #ACEs:
1. 'Good intentions but the right approach? The case of ACEs'
Blog by me (*blows own trumpet*)

publichealthy.co.uk/good-intention…
2. 'Why I worry about the ACE-aware movement’s impact'
Article by Whitney Barratt

tes.com/news/why-i-wor…
3. 'The ACEs campaign: cause for worry or celebration?'
Article by @PeopleValues

tes.com/news/aces-camp…
4. 'Stop using the Adverse Childhood Experiences checklist to make claims about trauma causing physical and mental health problems'
Blog by @CoyneoftheRealm

coyneoftherealm.com/2017/11/15/sto…
5. 'ACEs: Light bulb moment or magic bullet for social ills in Scotland?'

Article by @chrismarshll
scotsman.com/news/aces-ligh…
6. 'Why you need to remain critical of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)'
Blog by @Jessicae13Eaton

victimfocus.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/why…
7. 'Making Scotland an ACE informed nation'
Various blogs collated by @emz_davidson for @CRFRtweets (incl. @ArianeCritchley @LynnMcNair @DrAmyChandler @RamonaAlaggia @ResiliencebyD with more on the way)

blogs.ed.ac.uk/CRFRresilience…
8. 'Rethinking Adverse Childhood Experiences'
Academic bulletin by @sarahanderson26 for @TheHowardLeague

howardleague.org/wp-content/upl…
9. ACEs Position Paper
Policy position paper including critique from @childcomwales

childcomwales.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
10. On the issue of consent:
'The ACE Movement Must Address the Issue of Consent'
Blog by @DrBruceScott

scottishreview.net/BruceScott475a…
Second, some academic general critiques:
11. 'The problem with ACEs'
Submission to @CommonsSTC inquiry by @RosEdwards2, @ValGillies, @janmacvarish, @ProfSueWhite, @ProfDaveWastell

blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingcultu…
12. The @CommonsSTC report itself, which on #ACEs concluded that "the simplicity of this framework and the non-deterministic impact of ACEs mean that it should not be used to guide the support offered to specific individuals"

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cm…
13. 'A Critique of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Framework in Epidemiology and Public Health: Uses and Misuses'
Academic paper by @shell_ki

cambridge.org/core/journals/…
14. 'A Critical Assessment of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study at 20 Years'
Academic paper by McEwan and Gregerson from @BowdoinCollege

ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-…
15. 'Trauma informed practice and ACES: Critical perspectives on children’s mental health and domestic abuse'
Recorded conference talk by @JaneEMCallaghan (paper apparently under review)

stir.ac.uk/research/hub/p…
16. 'Inclusion, Empathy and Social Justice: An Affirmative Model'
Recorded lecture by @inde_for_inde

Third, some academic critiques specifically on ACE screening/routine enquiry - especially the lack of evidence and potential for harm:
17. 'Screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): Cautions and suggestions'
Academic paper by @DavidFinkelhor

unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV350…
@DavidFinkelhor 18. 'The evidence base for routine enquiry into adverse childhood experiences: A scoping review'
Academic paper by @Katharineford, @keh444, @Hardcastle_KA, @AlishaDavies1, @lisa_dil, @markabellis

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30884399
Finally, some pieces on ACEs primarily being a symptom of underlying socioeconomic conditions:
19. 'Adverse childhood experiences or adverse childhood socioeconomic conditions?'
Academic paper by Taylor-Robinson et al. from @LivUniIPHS

thelancet.com/journals/lanpu…
20. 'Poverty and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)'
Blog by @moragtreanor

children1st.org.uk/blog/poverty-a…
21. 'Capability and adversity: reframing the “causes of the causes” for mental health'
Academic paper by @psysmith

nature.com/articles/s4159…
22. (Not yet available but one to watch out for - @theGCPH has a systematic review in press, 'To what extent are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) explained by childhood socioeconomic conditions?)
There are more critiques out there, but we hope this collection will help to form balanced and critical judgements of the ACEs approach, taking account of the potential pitfalls and avoiding rushing ahead of the evidence base. Thanks for reading. RTs appreciated.
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Dr Lauren Mawn
@Lauren_Mawn
1/7 #KidsInCrisis @SeanFletcherTV @BBCPanorama presents a stark reality re access to #CAMHS MH services. We need early intervention & prevention models. But we also need to look at societal influences: poverty, need2achieve, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), austerity, media.
2/7 We are too quick with this population to jump to biological& neglect the psychosocial &political elements. CAMHS staff work hard and feel under pressure and when a system is under pressure and at breaking point - like any of us - it does it’s best to survive.
3/7 Survival means defend, close ranks - in this mode #CAMHS only has capacity for some ppl usually at the higher end of the ‘in need’ spectrum. They must decline others. Staff know this is horrible & hate it. Little reward & feeling failures = impacts own mental/physical health
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(((Ashley)))
@AshleySWeitz
Here's the story of how my trauma put a literal hole in my abdomen.

I'm typing as I go; please forgive typos and/or wonky syntax. And try to forgive me if halfway through it I delete and/or disappear. This story, this experience are still pretty raw.
Also, let me go ahead & disclaim:

I am no one. I am an authority on nothing.

I don't have a license to practice anything but driving.

Please never construe anything I ever say as medical, legal, or other advice.

I'm telling a story.

I wouldn't listen to me if I were you.
Let's start with #ACEs.

Y'all familiar w/the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study? Published in 1998 & the basis for hundreds more pubs, which point to childhood trauma's impact across lifespan: the higher your "dose" of childhood trauma, the worse later outcomes tend to be
Read 99 tweets
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Dustin LaPres
@DstnLap
#Thread
Tragically what the #CorruptGOP doesn't seem to get is that because they are not dealing in facts, & they are propagating falsehoods to their base, an entire generation of Republican voters, workers, apparachik's at every level; the U.S.A. loses ultimately. There are
People basing real decisions, at real jobs- both public & private sector-on false information. We have the most powerful military, biggest Economy, in the most industrialized nation in the world making Domestic & Foreign Policy based on fasle information.
This can & will end only one of two ways. Either we reverse course before catastrophic consequence or we experience what could be the most catastrophic multi-national event that has occurred since WW2 & the most grave consequences since our Nation's inception nearly 300 yrs ago.
Read 24 tweets
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Michelle Kelly-Irving
@shell_ki
To me this video on adverse childhood experiences (#aces) by @PublicHealthW is problematic.
It implies that these exposures are deterministic at an individual level. They are not.
Associations are seen at the population level & are probabilistic.
If you have experienced these exposures it does *not* mean that you will become depressed, end up in prison, or die prematurely.
The research tells us that *on average* the people in a society who have endured these things are more likely to have health problems *compared to the people who did not endure them*.
Read 5 tweets

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