Area educators, health care providers, students and others who have a vested interest in the current and future welfare of their communities attended the March 15 screening of the documentary film “Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope” and the panel discussion afterward. Those purpose-driven professionals came to Mid Michigan Community College to share what they know and to learn what they could about how to shift the course of children whose difficulties stem from ACEs [adverse childhood experiences].

Hosting and serving as discussion panel facilitator was Marc Wills, special education director at COOR (Crawford, Oscoda, Ogemaw, Roscommon) Intermediate School District. Wills, who is a master ACE trainer, said his ISD had been on its journey to build awareness and address toxic stress among its students, as well as the secondary stress adults endure.

His introduction began with a short story designed to create connection and relevancy to the “Resilience” film, which had three main focus points. One: neuroscience: how the brain works and how is it wired, particularly when people are exposed to or endure toxic stress. Two: the ACE study and how that can inform educators in school-based systems, with child welfare systems, social services, and ultimately the health care systems.

“And looking at how they can connect that in conjunction,” Wills said. “Working with our partners and other community-based agencies, including law enforcement, to help reduce the risk and help prevent that next ACE score.”

He said the third section talks about protective behaviors, where people can start talking strategies and what can be done as a community to mobilize resources.

“Right here in the audience, you are the resource,” he said. “It’s how you build those connections and relationships to make our children’s future – and the second generation and the third generation – a brighter and healthier future for them.”

Wills then initiated an activity by reciting the history of one child, and asking the audience to take note of the number of traumatic events listed. Those events covered an extensive range of physical punishments, familial upsets, difficulties and tragedies, parental kidnapping, divorce, as well as both parents dying of cancer, sibling diagnoses of clinical depression, one of whom committed suicide. The audience reported hearing from 10 to 25 different adverse events.

Wills said the variance in totals goes back to individual perceptions of what trauma is. He then revealed that the person described was himself, that it was his story.

“What we’re focusing on and what got me to where I am today is resilience,” he said. “It’s the hope. It’s that support system, that one safe person inside or outside a school system that helped me feel safe and build that connection.”

Wills went on to say that trauma crosses any socio-economic status, that all are impacted by trauma, and that schools are working to build primary prevention plans aimed at reducing the risk of the next ACE score.

The film itself described in detail the studies done by Rob Anda, M.D., Centers for Disease Control, and Vince Felitti, M.D., Kaiser Permanente. They came to realize the statistical relationship between adverse childhood events and their resultant trauma, and health issues in adulthood. Understanding what toxic stress is and the fact that children have not yet developed the necessary coping mechanisms, leads to understanding the cumulative effect such stress wreaks on the body.

The studies used a list of questions about life events and health history which enabled the researchers to establish that specific numbers of adverse childhood events would equal a specific percentage of likelihood that given health maladies would manifest in later life. Those scores also bore out a direct correlation to the likelihood of ending up on the wrong side of the law and incarceration.

All the studies and numbers create an obvious funneling back to the beginning of the score card: childhood. That is where the toxic stress has to be prevented from taking hold in the first place. Unfortunately, the answer is not so simple as a happy kindergarten classroom. For children, toxic stress is much like being in a constant state of adrenaline-driven fight-or-flight with no way to control the situation. It was stated in the film that the body needs some stress, but that constant adrenalin and cortisol all day long takes a toll on the body. Hence the phrase, the mind forgets but the body remembers. The film also said such stress can lead to cognitive impairment.

It was noted that resilience is not inborn, but is built over time, and that it is hard to plan for the future when a student finds it hard to get through a single day.

Sources of toxic stress can come in a major way from the adults in a child’s life, and a critically important step in stopping a child’s stress is to help parents manage the stresses and difficulties in their lives. The ACE program takes an intergenerational approach with programs all over the country swinging into action, because untreated ACEs are generational and, if not dealt with, will continue.

It was noted in the film that once a parent is aware their stresses are washing over onto the child, they may well step up and try to better manage their lives for the sake of their child.

The film also talked about taking action to protect children by calling the police and filing a report. It also urged people to recognize that kids have stress, and that they act out because they can’t articulate the problem.

One film participant asked “Why are we waiting for them to fall apart? We need to be where the kids are.”

It also was noted that symptoms often don’t show until fourth grade.

One curriculum tool a teacher in the film used with her small students was “The Legend of Miss Kendra” wherein a concerned adult would ask children if they were OK, and encouraged them to tell her anything that concerned them. She would ask specific questions, such as “Are you being hurt?” and deeper questions as well. By using that example in story form, it made the children aware they could speak to their teacher or other trusted adult about any harm they were experiencing.

The film spoke to growing awareness and being trauma informed, being able to say “It’s not what’s wrong with you; it’s what happened to you.”

Also noted was the beneficial effects on ACE scores when adults received support with their stress issues, and as one speaker said, “This is public health information everyone in the country should have and understand.”

A brief sampling of the “Resilience” film may be viewed at www.resiliencemovie.com.

Read the full story at: Clare County Cleaver