Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in children with neurodevelopment disorders

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a pediatric population selected for neurodevelopmental disorders.METHODS: The study was carried out within our pediatric outpatient in Pediatric Unit of Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome, enrolling 54 children aged between 7 and 17 years, with diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorder and 54 children, without any kind of disability. Data collection was carried out by completing two questionnaires, ICAST-C and ICAST-P, respectively for children and caregivers.RESULTS: Comparing the two groups of children, Student’s t-Test showed a statistically significant value (P<0.05) for eight questions. This study was conducted in accordance with the regulatory standards of Good Clinical Practice and the Declaration of Helsinki.CONCLUSIONS: Children with neurodevelopmental disorders are victims of ACEs with frequency greater than the control group and the type of abuse that they suffer is mainly psychological and physical.