When to Refer
Trauma Screening should include family education, additional follow-up as needed, resources and referrals to community services. Concerns based on a screening should be followed by appropriate referrals for formal assessment by a qualified early childhood behavioral/mental health specialist. The ACE Screening Clinical Algorithm helps a provider assess whether a patient is at low, intermediate or high risk of a toxic stress physiology, and how to incorporate ACE screening results into clinical care and follow-up plans.30 It is important to identify a family’s strengths when developing a plan for a family with young children experiencing or at risk for trauma. Trauma-informed care consists of education to help patients recognize and respond to the role past or present stressors may be playing in their current health conditions and to address toxic stress physiology as a core component of treating ACE-Associated Health Conditions.31