ACR 155, as amended, Bocanegra. Childhood brain development: adverse experiences: toxic stress.
This measure would urge the Governor to identify evidence-based solutions to reduce children’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences, address the impacts of those experiences, and invest in preventive health care and mental health and wellness interventions.
Fiscal committee: no.
P2 1WHEREAS, Research over the last two decades in the evolving
2fields of neuroscience, molecular biology, public health, genomics,
3and epigenetics reveals that experiences in the first few years of
4life build changes into the biology of the human body that, in turn,
5influence the person’s physical and mental health over his or her
6lifetime; and
7WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic
8experiences that occur during childhood, including physical,
9emotional or sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect,
10household dysfunction, including substance abuse, untreated mental
11illness or incarceration of a household member, domestic violence,
12or separation or divorce involving household members, that can
13have a profound effect on a child’s developing brain and body and
14can result in poor health during the person’s adulthood; and
15WHEREAS, The original 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences
16Study, which surveyed approximately 17,000 adult Californians,
17found that two-thirds of participants had at least one adverse
18childhood experience and one in six participants had four or more
19adverse childhood experiences; and
20WHEREAS, The Adverse Childhood Experience Study also
21found a strong correlation between the number of adverse
22childhood experiences and a person’s risk for disease and negative
23health behaviors; and
24WHEREAS, Researchers found that a person with four or more
25adverse childhood experiences was 2.4 times more likely to have
26a stroke, 2.2 times more likely to have ischemic heart disease, 2
27times more likely to have chronic pulmonary obstructive disease,
281.9 times more likely to have a type of cancer, and 1.6 times more
29likely to have diabetes; and
30WHEREAS, Researchers found that a person with four or more
31adverse childhood experiences was 12.2 times more likely to
32attempt suicide, 10.3 times more likely to use injection drugs, and
337.4 times more likely to be an alcoholic; and
34WHEREAS, The life expectancy of a person with six or more
35adverse childhood experiences is 20 years shorter than a person
36with no adverse childhood experiences; and
37WHEREAS, These early adverse experiences literally shape the
38physical architecture of a child’s developing brain and establish
39either a sturdy or a fragile foundation for all the learning, health,
40and behavior that follow; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Strong, frequent, or prolonged stress in childhood
2caused by adverse childhood experiences can become toxic stress,
3impacting the development of a child’s fundamental brain
4architecture and stress response systems; and
5WHEREAS, Early childhood offers a unique window of
6opportunity to prevent and heal the impacts of adverse childhood
7experiences and toxic stress on a child’s brain and body; and
8WHEREAS, A child’s brain continues to develop through
9adolescence and into young adulthood; and
10WHEREAS, The emerging science and research on toxic stress
11and adverse childhood experiences evidence a growing public
12health crisis for the state with implications for the state’s
13educational, juvenile justice, criminal justice, and public health
14systems; and
15WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences can significantly
16impact a child’s success in education; and
17WHEREAS, The Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI)
18found that neurobiological, epigenetics, and psychological studies
19have shown that traumatic experiences in childhood and
20adolescence can diminish concentration, memory, and the
21organizational and language abilities students need to succeed in
22school, thereby negatively impacting a student’s academic
23performance, classroom behavior, and the ability to form
24relationships; and
25WHEREAS, A child with four or more adverse childhood
26experiences is 46 times more likely to have learning or emotional
27problems; and
28WHEREAS, A woman with seven or more adverse childhood
29experiences is 5.5 times more likely to become pregnant as a
30teenager; and
31WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences can affect a child’s
32future contact with the criminal justice system; and
33WHEREAS, A woman with three violent adverse childhood
34experiences is 3.5 times more likely to become the victim of
35intimate partner violence, while a man with three violent adverse
36childhood experiences is 3.8 times more likely to perpetrate
37intimate partner violence; and
38WHEREAS, A critical factor in buffering children from the
39effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences is the
40existence of supportive, stable relationships between children and
P4 1their families, caregivers, and other important adults in their lives;
2and
3WHEREAS, Positively influencing the architecture of a child’s
4developing brain is more effective and less costly than attempting
5to correct poor learning, health, and behaviors later in life; now,
6therefore, be it
7Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
8thereof concurring, That the Legislature urges the Governor to
9reduce children’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences,
10address the impacts of those experiences, and invest in preventive
11health care and mental health and wellness interventions; and be
12it further
13Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Governor of California,
14in doing the foregoing, to consider the principles of brain
15development, the intimate connection between mental and physical
16health, the concepts of toxic stress, adverse childhood experiences,
17buffering relationships, and the roles of early intervention and
18investment in children as important strategies; and be it further
19Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
20of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
CORRECTIONS:
Heading--Coauthors--Page 1.
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Corrected 8-12-14—See last page. 98