ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs)
According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, 34.8 million children across the United States are impacted by ACEs. ACEs are exposures in childhood to abuse, neglect, parental incarceration, divorce, or domestic violence that have been shown to affect virtually every domain in which a child functions. ACEs are associated with health impairment across the life course and are strongly related to the prevalence of numerous health problems (Felitti, et. al, 1998).
ACEs can have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, as well as life opportunities such as education and job potential. These experiences can increase the risks of injury, sexually transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems (including teen pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and fetal death), involvement in sex trafficking, and a wide range of chronic diseases and leading causes of death such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and suicide.
ACEs and associated social determinants of health, such as living in under-resourced or racially segregated neighborhoods, frequently moving, and experiencing food insecurity, can cause toxic stress (extended or prolonged stress). Toxic stress from ACEs can negatively affect children’s brain development, immune systems, and stress-response systems. These changes can affect children’s attention, decision-making, and learning. (CDC)
THE TASIE PROJECT
The Trauma-Informed ACEs Screening and Intervention Evaluation (TASIE) Project ECHO utilizes a toxic stress framework to integrate ACEs screening, and trauma-informed strengths-based interventions that will change the standard of pediatric primary care that recognizes the impact of ACEs on health and effectively treats toxic stress in children. The TASIE Project is funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) & is being conducted through partnership with the New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP), Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) – a program of Safe & Sound, & Kaiser’s Center for Community Health & Evaluation (CCHE).
Over the three-year project period, CYW and NJAAP are implementing CYW’s Pilot Site Program for three cohorts of pediatric practices, each over a period of nine months, utilizing the Project ECHO® Quality Improvement (QI) framework. The Project ECHO® QI framework was chosen to more effectively engage pediatric primary care practices throughout the country, and ensure that practices will hear and learn from the on-the-ground experiences of their peers and experts using the “All Teach, All Learn” method of learning. The TASIE Project is being evaluated to yield a scalable model for integrating ACEs screening and trauma-informed strengths-based patient follow up at practices across the country.

Meet the TASIE Project Team!
The TASIE Project educates pediatric practices to use the Seven Domains of Wellness, strength-based, and research-backed interventions that can be incorporated into a typical office visit. The Seven Domains of Wellness include: Supportive Relationships, Supporting Mental Health, Sleeping Well, Eating Healthy, Using Movement, Practicing Mindfulness, and Spending Time with Nature.




Cohort 1 Info
Participating Practices
Cohort 3 Info
Participating Practices
Cohort 2 Info
Participating Practices
QLC Info
Participating Practices
ACEs Resources
Providers and Caregivers
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $960,000 with no percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.