Nurturing Children's Resilience Following Adverse Childhood Experiences

For effective use, this book should be purchased alongside the accompanying storybook, Maya's ACE Adventures!: A Story to Celebrate Children's Resilience following Adverse Childhood Experiences [9781032368177]. Both books can be purchased together as a set, Helping Children to Thrive After Adverse Childhood Experiences: 'Maya's ACE Adventures!' Storybook and Adult Guide [9781032367934]. Alongside the accompanying storybook, Maya's ACE Adventures!, this guide provides adults with much-needed resources to talk to children about their traumatic experiences in ways that are non-threatening, safe, and can build a child's confidence in speaking about their fears with a trusted adult. Designed to be read by an adult before they read the story together with a child, the guide provides practical tools, such as scene-by-scene discussion prompts and strategies for co-regulation, to facilitate conversations that are informed, relaxed and allow for healing from grief and trauma. These tools are contextualised by a detailed examination and critique of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) framework, in addition to an overview of the neurobiology involved in the stress response, to support adults and alleviate their anxiety about asking the right questions and having the rights answers for the children they support. Together with the storybook, this guide is essential reading for teachers, parents, foster carers, social workers, and other professionals who are supporting children, by giving them the resources they need to foster hope and resilience among children who have survived traumatic experiences.

Dr Mine Conkbayir is an award-winning author, trainer and researcher passionate about bridging the knowledge gap between neuroscience and the EY sector. A key contributor to the Birth to Five Matters non-statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage and designer of the first-ever neuroscience-informed qualifications for the EY sector, her latest award-winning book, Early Childhood and Neuroscience: Theory, Research and Implications for Practice, is now in its second edition.

1. Introduction 2. Who this Guide is designed for 3. Structure of the Guide 4. Meet the Characters 5. Overview of the story, Maya's ACE Adventures! 6. Stress - Is It All Bad? 7. ACEs - An Overview 8. ACEs - Proceed with Caution! 9. Children Can Overcome Their ACEs - How Protective Factors Can Help 10. The Brilliant Brain 11. The "Upstairs" and "Downstairs" Brain 12. Self-regulation - What is it and Why is it Important? 13. The Invaluable Role of Co-regulation in Helping Children to Self-Regulate 14. Discussion Prompts and Questions to Encourage the Child to Express their Thoughts and Feelings and to Help Build Understanding of Safety - Some Useful Tips 15. What to do if a Child Makes an in-the-moment Disclosure 16. Summary and Final Thoughts 17. Useful Resources