Last night I watched an amazing TED talk which both inspired and surprised me.

It inspired me because Nadine Burke Harris spoke so passionately and clearly about childhood trauma. It inspired me because she has been willing to ‘think outside the box’ and question and challenge traditional perceptions. It inspired me because she has used her passion and professional contacts to raise millions of dollars to make a difference in one of the most disadvantaged communities in her area.

It surprised me because I heard about the ACE studies Nadine talks about and which were the basis for her current work, at Family Futures (www.familyfutures.co.uk) in 2008. As a paediatrician living and working in the US where the ACE studies are based, she too heard about them in 2008. I assumed that these studies were common knowledge in the medical and social work professions both in the US and here in the UK but it seems this is not the case.

The two links below take you to a couple of articles which give more insight and information into the work Nadine Burke Harris is doing. If like me, you are excited and encouraged by what you see and read, do pass this on to parents and professionals you know so that we too become part of the movement that Nadine talks about.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/03/21/the-poverty-clinic

http://modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/poverty-making-kids-sick