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Educators : Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect, Part 2
(Page 5 of 10) Case Example Sandy was 10 years old when her teacher became concerned about possible abuse. She was extremely shy and withdrawn and often took a great deal of time to grasp ideas, despite the fact that testing showed no significant organic or perceptual difficulties. Her mother, a professional artist who had chosen to stay home with her four children, and her father, an accountant, found Sandy's slowness especially distressing. As the homework required of Sandy increased, she became more withdrawn. The teacher suggested she ask for help at home, especially with her math. At first Sandy began coming to school with peculiar marks on her hands and arms. On another day she arrived with a burn mark covering a good part of her hand. It had not been treated and had become infected. In asking Sandy about her injuries, the teacher learned that Sandy was being abused by her father. After several drinks, he would "help her" with her homework, become angered by her slowness, and prod her with his lit cigarette. The latest burn was a result of Sandy's hand being pressed on an iron when her father had taken over her mother's efforts to teach Sandy how to "iron properly." | ||||||||
Sandy's story of parents who expect too much is common. The child's withdrawn behavior was indicative of her poor self-concept and exacerbated by her experiences at home. Cigarettes are tools for abuse due to their ready accessibility, as are objects such as irons, electric cords, and other household items. Substance abuse also may be a factor in child maltreatment cases. Despite their need for help, many children and adolescents do not initially admit to being abused. Rather they often may invent seemingly plausible explanations, but the explanations tend not to fit the injury. Despite the abuse, children often are understandably fearful of being taken from their families or getting their parents into trouble. Other children also may just assume that this behavior is normal. Sometimes, it is assumed that physical abuse does not occur typically with adolescents or that, since they often are more difficult or provocative, they "invite" abuse. After all, adolescents are stronger, have more resources, and can run away. In fact, neither resistance nor flight is a good option for most adolescents. Resistance might further ignite their parents' anger, and unless they want to deal with the harsh realities of life on the street, flight is not an option for most adolescents. In addition, since adolescents often are perceived as more capable, adults are less likely to intervene or alert them to the resources available that can address personal or family issues. Case Example Dara, a ninth-grade student, began complaining to her gym teacher after a particularly intense argument with her parents. Despite her complaints, Dara insisted that her bruised face was the result of "bumping into a door." The teacher suspected otherwise because of the location of the bruise and Dara's frightened demeanor, but chose not to act. It was not until Dara began vomiting several months later and was doubled over in pain that the situation came to anyone's attention. It was discovered that Dara had internal injuries from a severe blow to the abdomen. The girl finally admitted to the teacher about months of physical abuse she received from her father. Abuse situations similar to Dara's happen to adolescents for various reasons. In Dara's home, adolescence, with its emerging sexuality, created problems. Her father sought to control her with force, perhaps fearful that she would become pregnant before marriage, as her sister had done. The fear of losing a child can sometimes paradoxically drive parents to abuse. In other homes, physical punishment already present may increase and escalate into abuse as the child matures. In all of the case examples, school personnel became aware of physical or behavioral symptoms and family patterns that, in a composite, pointed to either abuse or the exposure to abuse (such as observing, hearing, or intervening in domestic violence or dealing with the subsequent fears and behaviors, which some States define as child maltreatment). It also is important for those working with children to be sensitive to comments about severe physical fights between the parents that might indicate the presence of domestic violence. A child who speaks of caretakers who sleep a great deal during normally wakeful hours may be living with substance abusers or individuals suffering from clinical depression. Extremely erratic behavior described by the child on the part of the parent might suggest other types of mental illness. Educators must learn to listen "between the lines" as children make comments about their homes. Sometimes this will give vital clues about the conflict with which they are dealing. While symptoms do not necessarily indicate abuse, any suspected child abuse legally must be reported to child protective services (CPS) to be assessed or investigated. Directly communicating with CPS or using the school's protocol, in combination with the educator's common sense and concern for the students, will help identify what information will be needed to file a report. Neglect Because neglect often leaves no visible scars, it is more likely to go undetected. Neglect is the most common type of maltreatment that children experience and has consequences that are just as serious as physical abuse. It accounts for over one-half of reported child maltreatment cases and is the leading cause of fatalities due to child maltreatment. Living in poverty, in and of itself, does not mean that a child is being neglected. Neglect involves the caregiver's inattention to the basic needs of a child, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and supervision. While physical abuse tends to be episodic, neglect tends to be chronic. Neglectful families often appear to be multiproblem families, although families with numerous problems are not always neglectful. Because neglect often is chronic rather than episodic, these children may grow up believing that this is a normal way life and will not seek assistance or confide this information to anyone. Neglect follows a continuum from mild to severe. The more severe the neglect, the more negative the impact on the children. Neglect often is very difficult to define. Parents might be accused of failing to provide a safe environment by not protecting them from unsanitary or hazardous living conditions. It also can be the result of extenuating circumstances, such as leaving young children alone when the babysitter fails to show up or when not going to work may result in losing a job that is the only means of income. In such a case, while the child is definitely being neglected, CPS would work with the family to provide other child care arrangements. In a study of 87 educators in New York, researchers found that educators were less likely to report neglect than any other type of child maltreatment. When educators are considering the possibility of neglect, it is important to look for consistencies. They should ask themselves the following questions:
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