Kids and Trauma: Science Over Force.

In response to last week's High School "discipline" story from South Carolina we posted the attached Statement titled "Kids and Trauma: Science Over Force" today. We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below. 

"The video showing a school police officer subduing an unyielding adolescent with force is yet another reminder that children act out. Sadly, that’s not news. What is news is that there are alternate, appropriate ways to deal with troubled teens that benefit both the child and the community.

There are a host of reasons why a child might misbehave, and while the details of this young woman’s life are rightfully private, her attorney has made a public statement that she is in foster care and that is a sign that her nuclear family has been unable or unavailable to raise her.     

Traumatic childhood experiences are the subject of many studies currently. Findings indicate that these experiences can have both immediate and lifelong effect on social and emotional health. Collectively called “Adverse Childhood Experiences,” or ACEs, these experiences can actually change the chemistry of a child’s brain and can be a cause for dramatic changes in a child’s behavior. 

Prevent Child Abuse America recognizes the profound lessons from the ACE studies and has incorporated the findings into our work at every opportunity. We are particularly proud to be the non-profit partner to the producers of the film Paper Tigers, a documentary showing how the lives of troubled teens are changed when their school adopts a trauma–informed approach."

Healthier Futures, a National Dialogue, and Adrian Peterson.

In response to the NFL suspending Adrian Peterson for the rest of the season today, we released a brief statement titled "Healthier Futures, a National Dialogue, and Adrian Peterson." We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below. 

"At Prevent Child Abuse America we work to create healthier futures for all children. We also seek to create environments that lead to great childhoods. And we strive to create an equal playing field for all children and all families.

We traffic in hope and solutions, thriving children, and a healthier world for all of us to live in. What we do not do is traffic in rage. It doesn't serve the nation's children, their families, or the communities they live in.

But we know there will be rage today directed at the National Football League for suspending Adrian Peterson for the rest of the 2014 season. People will question whether his rights as a parent, and worker, are being undermined. And while we agree that this is an important dialogue, we do not believe it is the most important dialogue we as a nation can be having right now.

While we take no stand on Peterson's case, we appreciate all of the dialogue that has occurred coast-to-coast since his very public case raised the issue of appropriate discipline. What we've learned since the news about Peterson first broke is that despite being a controversial topic, people are very willing to discuss their views on corporal punishment."

Prevent Child Abuse America in the news. Child development. A culture of respect. And The State Journal Register.

We want to share an Op-Ed with you written by James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America - here - that ran in The State Journal-Register which is based out of Springfield, IL. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"What’s critical, then, is to insure parents receive the best and most recent information so they can make informed decisions about what is best for their child.

This is one of the goals of home visitation services like Healthy Families America. These services build upon mutual respect, effective child-rearing strategies, and recognize that parents need, and typically want, information to build a lifelong relationship with their child. This can serve the child and our nation well as the child develops.

Everyone should take the time to learn about services such as Healthy Families America, but I also encourage them to have an effect on the lives of children and their families, including:

* Asking parents we know if they need a break for a few hours to keep stress levels down.

* Volunteering at child- and family-serving organizations to help parents receive services they need.

* Asking corporate leaders, faith organizations and legislators how they can integrate child well-being efforts into their daily lives.

As a nation, we believe that what is best for a child is best left to parental judgment. That works well, provided parents have the best information available. But when it comes to corporal punishment, research is clear that there are more effective disciplinary methods that are age appropriate, contribute to child accountability and promote a healthy parent-child relationship."

A Culture of Respect, Early Child Development, and the Impact of Abuse.

In response to the Adrian Peterson story, Prevent Child Abuse America released a Statement titled "A Culture of Respect, Early Child Development, and the Impact of Abuse" - here. We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"America is home to many cultures that bring many practices to child rearing and knowing what is best for a child is typically best left to a parent. But parents must be aware of disciplinary options that are age appropriate, contribute to holding the child accountable, and promote a healthy parent-child relationship. This is one of the goals of home visitation services like Healthy Families America. These services build upon mutual respect, effective child rearing strategies, and recognize that parents need, and typically want, information to build that life-long relationship."

Prevent Child Abuse America in the news. Kate Gosselin. Discipline. And healthy child development.

James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America was offered the opportunity by Radar Online to comment - here - on the recent, and alleged, stories involving Kate Gosselin, the stages of child development, and discipline, and said among other things that, "there are better, healthier and more effective means for disciplining children than the one being suggested."