Question

When should you screen for adverse child experiences (ACEs), is there a time you should not screen for ACEs, why/why not?

Answer 1

Adverse child experience include the traumatic and stressful experience. Childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. They may also include household dysfunction such as witnessing domestic violence or growing up with family members who have substance use disorder. So, screening for the adverse child experiences may be done when there is an abnormal behavior of the child occurs, a child being stressed, unable to concentrate on the studies or sudden behavioral change take place.

Proper screening of child should be done as by engaging the person in exploring his/her life history related to trauma in a way that is respectful and sensitive. There is no particular time to access the screen, as soon as there doubt occurs, proper counselling of the child should be done.