The Ecobiodevelopmental Model of Health. Eco-biodevelopmental models are advocated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and these models offer insights into the neurobiological processes associated with environmental factors and the ways in which these processes may be addressed to improve outcomes. Development of an Eco-Biodevelopmental Model of Emergent Literacy Three indicators of flourishing are amenable to parental report and are rough markers of executive function: (1) the child shows interest and curiosity in learning new things, (2) the child works to finish tasks he or she starts, and (3) the child stays calm and in control when faced with a challenge.59 In analyses of data from the 20162017 National Survey of Childrens Health, the prevalence of flourishing children increased in a graded fashion with increasing levels of family resilience and connection.59 In fact, a higher percentage of children with high adversity (ACE scores 49) but high family connection and resilience were flourishing (30.5%) than children with low adversity (ACE score of 0) but low family resilience and connection (26.8%).59 Approaches to minimizing toxic stress that only look at measures of adversity (such as ACE scores or biomarkers) will miss out on opportunities to support the relational health that promotes flourishing despite adversity. Embrace restorative justice and social inclusion (over punitive measures and exclusion). Such an approach will require pediatricians, other pediatric health care professionals, and FCPMHs in general to partner with families and communities in practical and innovative ways to universally promote SSNRs, address potential barriers to SSNRs in a targeted manner, and afford indicated treatments that repair relationships that have been strained or compromised (see Table 2). Learning Objective: Describe the structure and function of genes. Conversely, a solution-focused approach would focus on relational health15 (see the Appendix for a glossary of terms, concepts, and abbreviations) by promoting the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) that turn off the bodys stress machinery in a timely manner.1,16,17 Even more importantly, a strengths-based, relational health framework leverages those SSNRs to proactively promote the skills needed to respond to future adversity in a healthy, adaptive manner.16,18,19 The power of relational health is that it not only buffers adversity when it occurs but also proactively promotes future resilience. Society is currently trending toward division, marginalization, alienation, and social isolation.177 In opposing this trend and calling for a public health approach that builds SSNRs, the AAP is working to translate the latest developmental science into practices and public policies (see Table 2) that build healthy, resilient children. This document is copyrighted and is property of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Board of Directors. These techniques come from family therapy, cognitive therapy, motivational interviewing, family engagement, family-focused pediatrics, and solution-focused therapy. HealthySteps uses a tiered approach to match services with the level of need, and the core components include: (1) child development social-emotional, and behavioral screening, (2) screening for family needs, (3) child development support line (eg, phone, text, e-mail, and online portal), (4) child development and behavioral consultants, (5) care coordination and systems navigation, (6) positive parenting guidance and information, (7) early learning resources, and (8) ongoing, preventive team-based well-child visits. The Shareholders vs. Stakeholders Debate - MIT Sloan Management Review Asserts that complex forms of thinking have their origins Finally, it should be noted that public health mandates to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic actually refer to physical distancing and are not intended to further isolate, alienate, or disenfranchise already vulnerable populations. Understand the relational health framework, which explains how the individual, family, and community capacities that support the development and maintenance of SSNRs also buffer adversity and build resilience across the life course (see Table 1). The model is separated into three categories: 1) ecological, 2) biological and 3) developmental. By focusing on the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) that buffer adversity and build resilience, pediatric care is on the cusp of a paradigm shift that could reprioritize clinical activities, rewrite research agendas, and realign our collective advocacy. Asserting that adults with core life skills are essential, not only to form and maintain SSNRs with children but also to scaffold and develop the basic social and emotional skills that enable children to be resilient and flourish despite adversity. Drawing on a framework produced by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University,192 this policy statement highlights the following 3 science-informed principles to prevent toxic stress responses and to build healthy, resilient children. To determine an individuals ACE score, see http://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score. It also endorses a paradigm shift toward relational health because SSNRs not only buffer childhood adversity when it occurs but also promote the capacities needed to be resilient in the future. The mechanism offers an explanation for the historical trauma. Immediate Past Chairperson, David O. Childers, Jr, MD, FAAP, Program Chairperson, John Takayama, MD, MPH, FAAP, Website Editor, Robert G. Voigt, MD, FAAP, Newsletter Editor, Rebecca A. Baum, MD, FAAP Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Lynn Davidson, MD, FAAP Council on Children with Disabilities, Yekaterina Kokidko, DO Section on Pediatric Trainees, Sherri Louise Alderman, MD, MPH, IMH-E, FAAP, Chairperson, Jill M. Sells, MD, FAAP, Immediate Past Chairperson, Alan L. Mendelsohn, MD, FAAP, Abstract Chairperson, Ami Gadhia, JD Child Care Aware of America, Michelle Lee Section on Pediatric Trainees, Dina Joy Lieser, MD, FAAP Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Lucy Recio National Association for the Education of Young Children. In the original ACE Study, 10 categories of adversity were examined: emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; 5 measures of household dysfunction, including the mother being treated violently (intimate partner violence), household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, and incarcerated household member; and emotional or physical neglect. Acknowledge that a wide range of adversities, from discrete, threatening events to ongoing, chronic life conditions, share the potential to trigger toxic stress responses and inhibit the formation of SSNRs. 3, Early childhood social disadvantage is associated with poor health behaviours in adulthood, Beyond residential mobility: A broader conceptualization of instability and its impact on victimization risk among children, Adversity and children experiencing family homelessness: implications for health, The association between familial homelessness, aggression, and victimization among children, Links between childhood exposure to violent contexts and risky adolescent health behaviors, Community violence exposure in early adolescence: longitudinal associations with hippocampal and amygdala volume and resting state connectivity, Associations of neighborhood disorganization and maternal spanking with childrens aggression: a fixed-effects regression analysis, Community-level adverse experiences and emotional regulation in children and adolescents, Factors that influence trajectories of delinquency throughout adolescence, Household and community-level adverse childhood experiences and adult health outcomes in a diverse urban population, Bullying victimization in childhood predicts inflammation and obesity at mid-life: a five-decade birth cohort study. culturally effective: the family and child's culture, language, beliefs, and traditions are recognized, valued, and respected. To minimize the burden of toxic stress responses at the population level, the entire pediatric community needs to identify and address not only the acute threats to child wellness such as abuse and physical violence but also the ongoing, chronic life conditions such as racism, poverty, and isolation that are rooted in deep-seated social constructs, societal inequities (including those within the health care system), and public policies that inhibit social cohesion, equity, and relational health. Developmental science is only beginning to understand the way relational health buffers adversity and builds resilience, but emerging data suggest that responsive interactions between children and engaged, attuned adults are paramount.1,16,114,115 Not only are infants programmed to connect socially and emotionally with adult caregivers,116 but the brains of parents of newborn infants appear to be reprogrammed to connect with their infants.117 Imaging studies of new parents demonstrate changes in several major brain circuits, including a reward circuit, social information circuit, and emotional regulation circuit.117,118 The reward circuit includes the striatum, ventral tegmental area, anterior cingulated cortex, and prefrontal cortex, where dopamine and rising levels of oxytocin interact to make social interactions more rewarding, thereby encouraging more parental engagement in infant care.118,119 The social information circuit includes structures such as the anterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and supplemental motor area, which support internal representations of what others may be experiencing and more empathic responses to infant behaviors.118,119 Finally, the emotional regulation circuit includes the amygdala, superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction, and prefrontal cortex, which promote social cognition and a downregulation of the stress response.118,119 The convergent conclusion from these preliminary imaging studies of the parental brain is clear: much like the infant brain, the parental brain is programmed to connect. For example, positive relational experiences, such as engaged, responsive caregivers,59,6265 shared childrens book reading,6668 access to quality early childhood education,6971 and opportunities for developmentally appropriate play with others66,7274 are associated with positive impacts on learning, behavior, and health. Without strong therapeutic alliances with patients, caregivers, and families, few of the recommended universal primary preventions will be implemented, few of the targeted interventions will be used, and few of the indicated treatments will be sought. Promoting a public health approach that not only prevents, mitigates, and treats toxic stress but, more importantly, proactively promotes, reduces barriers to, and repairs relational health (the capacity to develop and maintain SSNRs with others). This has important implications for how we nurture and fulfill the potential of all children, not just those who are relatively less sensitive to their contexts and appear to be relatively more resilient despite adversity. A medical home builds partnerships with clinical specialists, families, and community resources. See the Appendix for full descriptions of the abbreviations. Efforts to repair strained or compromised relationships are likely to be more effective if other potential barriers to SSNRs are being addressed (eg, parental mental illness and basic needs) and additional efforts are being made to actively promote SSNRs (eg, the provision of developmentally appropriate play).