ACE Questionaire
Warning: These questions may cause distress. Some questions ask directly about experiences of child abuse. Check that you have a support person or helpline number available before beginning.
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire
Finding your ACE Score
Instructions: There are 10 questions, each is answered by selecting Yes or No. Put a score of 1 in the space provided for a yes answer, leave blank for a no. At the end, add up the score to find your total. These questions have been designed for adults (age 18 and older).
Regardless of your score, if you answer yes for any question, you may find it beneficial to your health and wellbeing to contact a trauma informed practitioner to explore more deeply how this will have impacted you, and thus, those to whom you are close.
Warning: These questions may cause distress. Some questions ask directly about experiences of child abuse. Check that you have a support person or helpline number available before beginning.
The prospect of having to talk about what happened is enough to prevent some individuals seeking help to heal, I totally understand that. Which is why I suggest you find a trauma therapist who practices more body orientated healing such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprograming), EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping), along with Havening and other proven grounding and safety enhancing techniques. One such practitioner is Dr Patricia Worby of Alchemy Therapies, who conducts both online and in person appointments, as well as offering group sessions that are profoundly effective and more accessible financially.
While you were growing up, during your first 18 years of life:
Did a parent or other adult in the household often …
Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? or
Act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did a parent or other adult in the household often … Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? or
Ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever…
Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? or
Try to or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did you often feel that …
No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? or
Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did you often feel that …
You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? or
Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Was your mother or stepmother:
Often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? or
Sometimes or often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? or
Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic or who used street drugs?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Was a household member depressed or mentally ill or did a household member attempt suicide?
Yes No If yes enter 1 ________
Did a household member go to prison?