Childhood Trauma Summit To Be Held In OKC

The Oklahoma State Department of Education announced it will be holding a first of its kind summit this fall to tackle one of the largest issues facing Oklahoma Children.

It's a nationwide problem, but Oklahoma unfortunately leads the nation in the number of adverse childhood experiences and the state's top educators are hoping to combat it in schools. 

Earlier this week State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister announced the department would be hosting the summit bringing together experts in law enforcement, corrections, mental health and child behavior. 

In a statement she said  "There may be no more critical work than to ensure a foundation of safety and caring. We cannot allow these frightening statistics to remain unchecked."

Experts say traumatic experiences as a child can lead to more mental health problems like depression and violent behavior later. 

"When there's trauma and adverse childhood experiences, it changes the way the brain functions for the rest of their life, and so when I see, especially in early childhood, money being taken away, it's like we're crippling our future," said Mindy Bellack, Frontline Family Solutions. 

The summit is set for October 2, 2018 at the Cox Convention Center.