The Healthy Steps for Young Children program (HS) was designed to support families of young children using a new type of health care provider, the HS specialist (HSS), in a practice - based intervention.1 The HS consists of risk reduction activities and universal components, including developmental screening, anticipatory
guidance, and
follow - up services, offered to all families receiving care.2 - 5 Expected benefits of HS include improved
parental promotion of child development, 6 parenting practices, child development, and health care utilization.
To assess adversity among inner - city low - income youth, clinicians should consider adding the
following experiences to current ACE measures: single - parent homes; lack of
parental love, support, and
guidance; death of family members; exposure to violence, adult themes, and criminal behavior; date rape; personal victimization; bullying; economic hardship; discrimination; and poor health.