April 2021 – Page 7 – Colquhoun Park Early Years Centre

ACES Overview – What are ACES?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful events occurring in childhood including

domestic violence
parental abandonment through separation or divorce
a parent with a mental health condition
being the victim of abuse (physical, sexual and/or emotional)
being the victim of neglect (physical and emotional)
a member of the household being in prison
growing up in a household in which there are adults experiencing alcohol and drug use problems.

Growing up with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, neglect, community violence, homelessness or growing up in a household where adults are experiencing mental health issues or harmful alcohol or drug use, can have a long-lasting effect on people’s lives.

This is why preventing ACEs and supporting children and adults affected is a priority for us.

We are working in partnership with a wide range of sectors and services to help reduce the incidence and impact of all types of childhood adversity, focusing on:

support for children, parents and families to prevent ACEs
mitigating ACEs for children and young people
training for staff across the workforce in supporting people who have experienced trauma
raising wider awareness about ACEs and supporting action across communities

We are also working to address the social and economic circumstances in which people live. Social inequalities, such as poverty or gender inequality, can influence the levels of childhood adversity and trauma along with people’s ability to overcome that experience. We know that Covid-19 is likely to have led to an increase in childhood adversity and trauma – and to an increase in these social inequalities as well.

Individual experience of adversity

Individuals’ experience of adversity and how they respond will depend on a range of factors, including the existence of supportive relationships and access to financial and other resources. Therefore, it is not possible to determine an individual’s longer term health or other life outcomes based on the number of ACEs they have experienced.

So, while childhood adversity may have a significant impact on children and throughout their adult lives, such experiences should not be seen as placing limits on someone’s aspirations and achievements. This is why we do not advocate scoring the number of ACEs an individual has within service settings.

However, increasing our understanding of ACEs at a population level, through surveys, is important for gauging the societal prevalence of ACEs and understanding how this is impacting on health, the criminal justice system or other services and outcomes.

For more information visit

https://www.gov.scot/publications/adverse-childhood-experiences-aces/

April 6, 2021April 14, 2021

Self Regulation

SELF REGULATION

Hi Everyone,

We have been working closely as a staff team focussing on Self-Regulation and actively creating opportunity to develop this skill. I thought it would be important to share a little bit about what self regulation actually is and why it is important that we help children develop this skill in the early years of childhood.

Some , including a Youtube video, which will give you some more information, ideas of games you can play and activities you will be able to do to support and develop self regulation for your children. If you have any questions or would like a little more information please don’t hesitate in giving me a shout.

WHAT IS SELF-REGULATION?
Self-regulation is a different sort of skill. It allows kids to manage their emotions, behaviour and body movement when they’re faced with a situation that’s tough to handle. And it allows them to do that while still staying focused and paying attention.

HOW DOES SELF-REGULATION HELP CHILDREN?
As your child grows, self-regulation will help her: learn at school – because self-regulation gives your child the ability to sit and listen in the classroom behave in socially acceptable ways – because self-regulation gives your child the ability to control impulses.

WHY IS SELF-REGULATION IMPORTANT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD?
Early childhood is when our brains experience huge growth, especially in the frontal cortex (the area most closely associated with self-regulation), so this is an important time to start learning self-regulation. Research shows us that teaching self-regulation skills to preschool children improved their school readiness (Duncan et al., 2017).

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT A CHILD MAY NEED SUPPORT?
If a child struggles with Self-Regulation they might…

• Be under-reactive to certain sensations (e.g. not noticing name being called, being touched, high pain threshold).
• Appear lethargic/disinterested; appearing to mostly be in their ‘own world’.
• Have difficulty regulating their own behavioural and emotional responses; increased tantrums, emotional reactive, need for control, impulsive behaviours, easily frustrated or overly compliant.
• Have tantrums that last for longer than typical
• The number of tantrums or behavioural episodes per day is more than typical
• Is difficult to discipline
• Typical behavioural strategies are ineffective.
• Is easily distracted, shows poor attention and concentration.
• Has poor sleep patterns.
• Loves movement. Seeks out intense pressure (e.g. constant spinning, running around, jumping, crashing in objects/people).
• Has delayed communication and social skills, is hard to engage in two-way interactions.
• Prefers to play on their own or has difficulty in knowing how to play with other children.
• Has difficulty accepting changes in routine or transitioning between tasks.
• Has difficulty engaging with peers and sustaining friendships