Summary
Evidence suggests that for the youngest children, prolonged or severe exposure to abuse, neglect and economic hardship – exacerbated by a dearth of stable, supportive relationships with adults – can provoke a “toxic stress response” with lifelong consequences. Such stress may influence brain development and increase the risk for illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. While efforts have been made for decades to intervene early in children’s lives, the results have not always been resounding. This Forum event examined how health and education policies can be both harnessed and revamped to counteract early childhood adversity and included a discussion of a new policy statement, “Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science Into Lifelong Health,” issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Watch a brief video about core concepts in early development from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child.
Part of: Policy Controversies.
Background Articles
- EARLY CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY, TOXIC STRESS, AND THE ROLE OF THE PEDIATRICIAN: TRANSLATING DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE INTO LIFELONG HEALTH
American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement - http://developingchild.harvard.edu/news/
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University - TOXIC STRESS INFORMATION FROM HARVARD CENTER ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University - VIDEO: TOXIC STRESS DERAILS HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University - OP/ED: A POVERTY SOLUTION THAT STARTS WITH A HUG
New York Times - HEALTHY CHILDREN: THE BEST INVESTMENT
Harvard Public Health Review
Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/gkomel.
