Book excerpt: The eyes of troubled youth are communicating in all moments. Hurt people hurt people. Our children can become violent, detached, or shut down when early development is toxic, severely disrupted and is met with significant adverse childhood experiences. Children are our nation's greatest natural resource and their emotional, mental and physiological well-being are at stake. What can we do? We begin with the awareness and research that adversity just doesn't happen to a child -- it attacks and hijacks a child's brain, body and nervous system function reprograming how they react and respond to all life. For educators, counselors, social workers, mental health professionals and law enforcement--this book presents the neurobiology of adversity and trauma in youth and the resiliency of hope and mindfulness ... and how to help.