Adverse childhood experiences, ACEs play, a very important role in the future behavior of children.
This is especially true in the area of violence, both victimization and perpetration; and these experiences also impact lifelong health and opportunity.
The aces questionnaire is a tool that is used to see whether an individual child or adult may be more, or less sensitive to adversity. It is a good tool however, it does not mention protective aspects of the child’s life like good relationships with at least one adult, skill building opportunities, and community services that are available to them.

It is also important to realize that the relationship between how a child turns out in adulthood and ACEs during their childhood is not linear. It is just a tool that you can use to see if a child has greater risk.
This tool can be found on multiple websites. However, I will summarize the questions here. The more ACEs you have, the more at risk.
For some adults, it explains a lot about what is going on in their lives and forms a basis to make changes for themselves, and for the children who are under their care.

1. Did a parent or other adult in the household, often or very often insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? Or act in a way that made you afraid?
2. Did a parent or other adult in the household, often or very often push, grab, slap you, or throw something at you? Or hit you so hard that you were injured?
3. Did an adult or person ever touch you or fondle you or touch your body in a sexual way? Or attempt to actually have sexual intercourse with you?
4. Did you often or very often feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? Or your family didn’t look out for each other or support each other?
5. Did you often or very often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat? Or felt that you had no one to protect you?
6. Were your parents too drunk or high to take care of you? Did you live with someone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic or, used street drugs?
7. Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
8. Was your mother or your stepmother, often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her or, hit so hard with a fist or something that she got injured? Was she ever threatened with a gun or a knife?
9. Was a member of your household depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?
10. Did a household member go to prison?

The higher your score, the more likely it is that you have an explanation for some of what is going on in your life psychologically and physically. You could, for example, be perpetrating some of these ACEs on a child or vulnerable person under your care.

Talking about past trauma helps us move forward. Excessively dwelling on it on the other hand, is a hindrance. It is important to have conversations with a counselor, with trusted friends, or family members, and with the people who depend on us. It is hard, however, the times when we acknowledge our past so that we can build a good future for ourselves is here. Claim your destiny by working through your traumas, and then stepping forward to claim your true destiny, and doing what you can to ensure that the children under your care are protected as much as it depends on you.