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Heeju Kim wants people to fathom what it would be like to be incapable of reading others’ body language and to be perpetually inundated with strange, troublesome noises. The end goal is to give you insight into the sensory and motor challenges that individuals with autism spectrum disorder face, and in turn, cultivate greater empathy. Kim, 29, has spent many years trying to better understand the experiences of her 27-year-old brother who has the disorder. In addition to various sensory...

The Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) has a bold mission to change the way regions grow, invest, and build. The initiative kicked off two years ago as a partnership across a range of funders and nonprofit organizations from across the country to create new approaches to equitable regional development, focusing on three areas or “lenses” – health, racial equity, and climate change. Midway through our project we took an in-depth look at how this initiative is...

This edition of the original Community-Centered Health Homes (CCHH) paper provides an updated description of the CCHH model based on the experiences of healthcare organizations piloting it, and offers practical strategies for implementation. The paper also includes a tool that healthcare organizations can use to assess what capacities they may need as they embark on efforts to improve community health. [For more on this resource by the Prevention Institute, go to...

A. C. E. - Adverse Childhood Experiences In 2013, just before I retired, was when I first heard of the words “Human Trafficking” (HT) and I knew right away I was a victim. My trafficking victimization started when I met my trafficker at age 15; but after reading an article written by Dr. Vincent Felitti , I had a lot of questions about the adversities of my childhood. Dr. Vincent Felitti and Dr. Robert Anda are the co-researchers of the A.C.E. study that started in the late 1990s. I was...

Even though this writer doesn't talk about trauma, he gets to the core of what has been missing. Attention to a broader spectrum of people's core needs to include emotional ones. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/opinion/when-social-services-undermine-well-being.html?fbclid=IwAR2pytgMRtZvhHpCbFm4BWm12ZgRBYhNF5WtqX6IuSjrXeWLnsGYdlU99ew&smid=fb-nytopinion&smtyp=cur

In 48 days, we open our 20th convening of a powerful conference focused on strengthening families, improving outcomes for children, and strategies to engage families: the 20th Annual Families and Fathers Conference hosted by Fathers and Families Coalition of America. Sponsorships allow the extended early rate for an exceptional experience in Los Angeles, California, from March 4th (pre-conference institute credential) through the main conference dates of March 5th - 7th. Please share this...

When Suzanne O’Connor first joined the Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF)—a group then composed mostly of pediatricians who wanted to put ACE science into practice—she did more listening than talking.

My grandfather is traditionally masculine in most senses of the word: He was a soldier, then a bait-shop owner, then a garbage collector; he rose before dawn most days of his life and I never heard him complain about it. He raised six good kids, he tells funny one-liners, he’s an expert fisherman. He once refused over-the-counter pain meds even while at death’s door. I’ve been thinking about him lately, for reasons I’ll get to in a bit. More than a decade ago, the American Psychological...

As Los Angeles County continues efforts to move its juvenile justice system in a direction that emphasizes diversion over incarceration, supervisors hope to leverage arts programming as part of a broader set of reforms. Arts-oriented programming has long played a role in the nation’s largest juvenile justice systems, but L.A. County leaders hope a grant from one of the nation’s leading funders will expand these services. A one-year, $750,000 grant from the Ford Foundation’s Art for Justice...

After the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Brevard County Schools Assistant Superintendent Matt Reed faced a challenge unlike any in his career. His team had to find, hire and train more than two dozen new employees to carry firearms on school campuses and protect students in the event of a school shooter. They had less than six months. The district missed the deadline. [For more on this story by Katherine Campione, Vincent McDonald and Christina Morales,...

Help for breaking free of the victim-mindset; Bob Lancer's Exit Victim Thinking audio on youtube

Early bird registration ends soon for the 2019 AAP Trauma Informed Pediatric Provider (TIPP) Course scheduled March 2-5, 2019 in San Antonio, TX. Learn from other pediatric healthcare providers about the recent science, evidence base and treatments of adversity, resiliency and toxic stress. AAP Past-President, Dr. Colleen Kraft, will deliver the keynote presentation Pediatricians as Leaders in Addressing Toxic Stress and Trauma in Children . For more information, a schedule of speakers and...