The body keeps score
A look into Adverse Childhood Experiences and how buffers of Positive Childhood Experiences support trauma-informed care
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) describe situations where a child is exposed to abuse, neglect, household instability, or other traumatic events. These experiences can shape the developing brain and body, influencing emotional, behavioural, and physical health well into adulthood (Goddard, 2021). In the UK, almost 1 in 2 report having experienced at least one ACE during childhood, showing just how widespread early adversity is. Rates are higher in communities facing socioeconomic deprivation, where families experience greater stress linked to financial strain, discrimination, and inequality (Farooq et al., 2024). Even in a high income country, pockets of deprivation exist and these areas often require more targeted, trauma-informed support.
“You’re being disruptive and rude, get out of my class!”
Many children who have lived through adversity are misunderstood in exactly this way. Behaviours that look “difficult” from the outside may actually be survival responses. A child who is shouting, withdrawing, or refusing to follow instructions may be communicating distress the only way they know how.
This is why first‐line adults like teachers, social workers, youth workers, and parents play a crucial role. Trauma‐informed practice asks them to look beyond the behaviour and avoid leading or blaming questions. Instead of “What’s wrong with you?”, the shift becomes “What has happened to you, and what do you need right now?”
The impact of ACEs is not always immediate. Children do not have the emotional tools or cognitive maturity to process trauma the way adults can. Instead, they may:
Repress memories
Act out to regain a sense of control
Shut down emotionally
Become hyper-alert to threat
Over time, these survival strategies can become wired into the body. As Bessel van der Kolk famously describes, “the body keeps the score” meaning the nervous system remembers what the mind cannot yet make sense of.
This is why ACEs can influence adulthood, shaping relationships, stress responses, and mental health.
Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) act as buffers that soften or even interrupt the long‐term effects of ACEs (Sage et al., 2017). Research shows that even one stable, emotionally available adult can significantly reduce the impact of early trauma.
PCEs can include:
Feeling safe at home
Having caregivers who are emotionally present
Supportive friendship
Positive school experiences
Opportunities to play, explore and express
These experiences help build resilience, teaching the child that the world can also be safe, predictable and nurturing. When PCEs are present, the child’s brain develops alternative pathways that counterbalance the stress of ACEs. With the right support including therapy, consistent relationships, and community resources children can learn to understand their experiences and develop healthy coping skills over time.
TIC is an approach used across education, healthcare, social care, and psychology (also here at Salus). It recognises the widespread impact of trauma and prioritises safety, trust, and empowerment.
Key principles include:
Safety: creating environment whire children and adults feel physically and emotionally secure
Trust and transparency: being clear, predictable and honest
Collaboration: working with the person, not blaming them
Empowerment: building strengths not focusing on deficits
Cultural and contextual awareness: understanding how identity, community and inequality shape experience.
When trauma‐informed care is combined with intentional efforts to build PCEs, it becomes a powerful framework. It doesn’t erase ACEs, but it helps the body and mind relearn safety allowing individuals to spread their wings again.