Types of Stress & ACEs
•Name the three types of stress responses described in the presentation.
Positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress.
•Roughly how many new neural connections are formed every second in the early years of life?
More than 1 million new neural connections every second.
•What do we mean by a “0–60 kid” in the context of trauma and stress?
A young person who appears calm or ‘fine’ one minute and then suddenly explodes or shuts down the next.
•In simple terms, what is attachment?
The system in the brain and body that shapes how we connect to caregivers and feel safe in relationships.
•Why are regulation skills (breathing, grounding, sensory tools) helpful—but not always enough on their own—for complex developmental trauma?
They help in the moment with arousal, but deep healing also needs work on meaning, identity, and relationships.
•Which type of stress is linked with abuse, neglect, or parental addiction and can change brain development?
Toxic stress.
•What is the main job of the amygdala in the brain?
It acts as the brain’s alarm system, detecting threat and triggering fight/flight/freeze.
•From a trauma perspective, does the behaviour of a ‘0–60 kid’ come from nowhere? Explain briefly.
No. It looks sudden on the outside, but inside their nervous system they were already activated and close to the ‘red zone.’
•What is meant by ‘serve and return’ between a caregiver and a child?
Back-and-forth interactions where a child ‘serves’ (looks, gestures, vocalizes) and the adult ‘returns’ with attuned, responsive caregiving.
•Name one way early trauma can distort a young person’s ‘self-story’ in the Default Mode Network.
Examples: “I’m the problem,” “I’m bad,” “Everything is my fault,” or a sense that their life story is just chaotic and doesn’t make sense.
•What does ACE stand for, and why do ACEs matter for the developing brain?
Adverse Childhood Experiences; repeated or severe ACEs can create toxic stress that disrupts neurodevelopment and self-regulation.
•What happens to the ‘thinking brain’ (logical, reasoning parts) when the amygdala alarm is switched on by toxic stress?
The thinking brain goes partly ‘offline,’ making it harder to reason, listen, and use self-control.
•Name two behaviours you might see when a young person’s over-reactive stress response system gets triggered.
Examples: yelling, bolting, swearing, hitting, sobbing, freezing, or completely shutting down.
•In the Still-Face Experiment video, what happens when the caregiver stops responding to the baby’s bids for connection?
The baby becomes distressed, tries harder to re-engage the caregiver, and eventually may withdraw or collapse emotionally.
•What type of caregiving relationships are most protective and healing for youth who have experienced complex trauma?
Safe, stable, consistent, and trauma-informed relationships that combine structure with warmth and attunement.
•According to the ACEs ‘pyramid,’ what are two long-term outcomes that can be linked to early toxic stress if there is little support?
Examples: social, emotional and cognitive impairment; adoption of health risk behaviours; disease and disability; early death.
•In the “Hand Model of the Brain” video, what does it mean when we say a young person has ‘flipped their lid’?
The emotional alarm system has taken over and the logical, problem-solving part of the brain is no longer in charge.
•On the ‘stress staircase,’ why might a youth react strongly to a small trigger that others could shrug off?
Because they’re already partway up the staircase from previous stress, so it doesn’t take much to push them into survival mode.
•Name two messages a child might internalize when caregivers are inconsistent, rejecting, or frightening.
Examples: “I’m not lovable,” “I’m bad,” “People who are supposed to care for me aren’t safe,” or “It’s safer not to need anyone.”
•Name two core elements of trauma-informed, attachment-focused support in day-to-day practice.
Examples: prioritizing safety and predictability; noticing behaviour as communication; co-regulating before problem-solving; repairing after ruptures; using a strengths-based lens.
Explain how ACEs ‘train’ the nervous system to live in survival mode
When stress is intense and there isn’t a calm, safe adult consistently helping the child reset, the body doesn’t return to baseline, so the system learns to stay on high alert.
•Name two key jobs of the Default Mode Network (DMN) that can be affected by early trauma.
Examples: building a self-story (“Who am I?”), replaying the past and imagining the future, understanding others socially, and linking experiences into a meaningful narrative.
•What is one practical thing staff can do in the moment when they notice a youth’s stress rising toward ‘60’?
Examples: lower their own voice and body energy, offer co-regulation (breathing, grounding), give space and safety, reduce demands, or use a previously agreed calming plan.
•How can trauma put the attachment system and the stress response system ‘in conflict’ for a young person?
They are biologically driven to seek closeness, but relationships also feel dangerous, so reaching for connection can at the same time trigger their survival system.
•When supporting a youth with a history of developmental trauma, what does it mean to ‘work with their story,’ not just their behaviour?
Helping them make sense of what happened to them, challenge harsh self-beliefs, and build a more coherent, compassionate narrative about who they are.