Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire
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The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire for Adults is a widely recognized tool for assessing early-life trauma and its potential long-term effects on mental and physical health. Research has shown that childhood adversity—such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction—can increase the risk of emotional distress, chronic illness, and behavioral challenges in adulthood. This simple yet powerful assessment helps individuals and healthcare professionals identify patterns of past adversity that may be influencing current well-being. By taking the ACE Questionnaire, individuals can gain insight into how early experiences shape stress responses, relationships, and overall health. Understanding your ACE score is a valuable step toward healing, resilience, and breaking generational cycles of trauma.
Share Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire with your client
Share Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire with your client using the Reflective app so they can take the screener between sessions. Simply enter their email, and they’ll be able to fill in the worksheet from the convenience of their phone. Sign up for a Free trial.
How does Reflective work?
Share exercise with client via Reflective
Client receives email with app link and connection request
Client clicks link to download app
Client accepts your connection and exercises you shared
Client uses app to fill in exercises, gets reminders
How to Use the ACE Questionnaire with Clients
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Questionnaire is a research-based tool designed to assess early-life adversity and its potential impact on mental and physical health. Developed from a landmark CDC-Kaiser Permanente study, the ACE framework identifies ten common forms of childhood trauma, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction (e.g., substance abuse, mental illness, parental separation). A higher ACE score is correlated with increased risk for anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic illness, and even difficulties in relationships and emotional regulation.
When using the ACE Questionnaire with clients, it is important to approach the discussion with sensitivity and care. The goal is not just to assign a score but to use the assessment as a conversation starter about how past experiences may still be influencing present challenges. Some clients may find it difficult to recall or discuss adverse experiences, so it is crucial to create a safe, non-judgmental space. After completing the questionnaire, therapists can guide clients in exploring patterns of resilience, identifying coping strategies, and working toward trauma-informed healing. The ACE score should never be used as a diagnostic tool but rather as a way to inform therapeutic interventions, helping clients understand their history while focusing on their capacity for growth and recovery.
