The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity—A Transformative Guide to Understanding Childhood Trauma and Health

by Nadine Burke Harris

Guthrie’s true legacy was that he set the precedent for universal screening. It’s something I think about every time I see an ACE score in a patient’s chart. In the same way that babies with PKU aren’t born with any outward signs that they have the genetic disorder, kids don’t come into my office with signs around their necks saying I HAVE TOXIC STRESS. That’s why the universal is just as important as the screening. Time and again, I am reminded of what Guthrie showed the world—that we shouldn’t wait for our kids to come to us with symptoms of neurologic damage when there’s something simple that can be done to prevent it.