 “Parents have a fundamental right to raise
their children as they see fit, and society
presumes that parents will act in their
children’s best interest. When parents do
not protect their children from harm and
meet their basic needs – as with cases of
child abuse and neglect – society has a
responsibility to intervene and protect the
health and welfare of these children.”
 (A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect:
The Foundation for Practice)
Statistics:
 In 2004, approximately 3.5
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million suspected child abuse
and neglect cases were
reported in the US: a rate of
47.8 per 1000 children.
About 872,000 of these cases
were confirmed (11.9 per 1000
children).
48% of the victims were boys.
52% of the victims were girls.
10.3% of the child abuse
victims were under age 1 year.
 In 2000, an estimated
1,200 children were known
to have died from abuse.
 43.7% of those who were
killed were under 1 year
old.
 Neglect was most often
the cause of a child abuse
report in younger children
(73% of cases for birth to 3
years).
 Of the victims reported,
53.8% were white, 25.2%
were black, and 17% were
Latino.
Interesting statistical note:
 From 2000, look at the breakdown of the SOURCES of
child abuse and neglect reports:
Reporter
Percent
Education personnel
16.1%
Legal, law enforcement, criminal justice personnel
15.2%
Social services and mental health personnel
14.4%
Medical personnel
8.3%
Child daycare and substitute care providers
2.0%
Anonymous or unknown reporters
13.6%
Other relatives
8.3%
Friends and neighbors
5.9%
Parents
5.9%
Alleged victims
0.9%
Alleged perpetrators
0.1%
Other
9.2%
Scenario # 1
 JoAnne, 14, lives in a skilled nursing facility. She has
profound mental retardation and multiple disabilities,
including a seizure disorder and cerebral palsy. She
requires assistance for all of her daily living activities.
When she was discovered to be 8 months pregnant,
facility staff reported suspected child abuse. The
perpetrator was never identified. Of the remaining 98
residents in the same facility, over 80% tested positive for
a variety of venereal diseases.
Risk Factors for parents/family:
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History of abuse in parent’s past
Poor social networks
Young parental age
Low parental education levels
Psychiatric history in family
Large families
Low socio-economic status
Single parent
Substance abuse
Unemployment
Violent community
Low self-esteem
Marital conflict
Risk factors for a child:
 Being less than 3 years old
 Disability (a child is 1.7 times
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more likely to be abused if
he/she has a disability)
Being perceived by the parent
as “different” -- special needs,
chronic illnesses, or difficult
temperaments …
Which may lead to a
disruption in attachment …
Premature birth or illness at
birth
Unplanned or unwanted
pregnancy
Definition of Child Abuse
 Child abuse and neglect:
 Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or
caretaker that results in death, serious physical or
emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation;
 An act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of
serious harm.
 (“Child” in this definition means a person who is under
the age of 18 or who is not an emancipated minor.)
Scenario # 2
 During a violent fight between her mother and her
mother’s boyfriend, 8-year-old Kerry called 911. She
told the operator that her mother’s boyfriend always
hit her mother when he came home drunk. Kerry said
that she was worried about her 5-year-old brother,
Aaron, because he tried to help their mom and the
boyfriend punched him in the face. As a result, Aaron
fell, hit his head on the coffee table, and had not
moved since. The operator heard yelling in the
background and the mother screaming, “Get off the
phone!” When the police and paramedics arrive, Aaron
was unconscious and the mother was bruised.
Violence
 “...violence occurs when someone uses their strength or
their position of power to hurt someone else on
purpose, not by accident. Violence includes threats of
violence, and acts which could possibly cause
harm, as well as those that actually do. The harm
involved can be to a person’s mind and their general
health and well-being, as well as to their body. Violence
also includes harm people do to themselves,
including killing themselves.”
Kinds of Abuse:
 Physical Abuse
 Sexual abuse (includes touching offenses, and
exploitation)
 Child neglect (includes refusal or delay of health care,
abandonment, expulsion, inadequate supervision)
 Educational neglect (includes permitted truancy,
failure to enroll, inattention to special education need)
 Emotional neglect (includes spouse abuse exposure,
permitted drug or alcohol abuse, refusal or delay of
psychological care)
Scenario #3:
 Sammy, 13, has mild mental retardation and cerebral
palsy. In counseling, he revealed that he was thinking
about his future, including marriage and parenthood.
Afraid that his children would be “retarded like me,” he
was asked the cause of his disability. “I was born normal.
My Dad used to come home drunk and get real mad. I
remember he would throw me against the wall. My head
hurt a lot. This happened all of the time, when I was little.
Now I’m retarded.” Although Sammy understood the
origins of his disability, he did not understand genetics or
heredity. When told that his children would probably be
born just like he had been, he was happy. He said, “I
would never hurt my kids like my Dad [hurt me].”
Abuse and children with disabilities …
 Children with disabilities are
especially vulnerable to being
abused.
 People that abuse children with
disabilities are usually people that
the child knows and trusts.
 Most children with disabilities
can tell what happened.
Preconceived notions about people
with disabilities …
 They are asexual (?)
 They cannot understand
truth from fantasy (?)
 They are unable to effectively,
reliably communicate (?)
 They are unable to:
 Understand and learn (?)
 Feel emotions (?)
 Feel pain (?)
HOWEVER - They have sex drives and
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mature sexually just like
anyone else …
They may have less
information about sex,
however …
They often have no prior sex
education …
They may be more vulnerable
to predators …
Predators (sexual) may look
for someone who is weaker or
gullible.
Realities for a child with a disability:
 Privacy is greatly reduced or
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non-existent
Expectations from others
about life and achievement are
greatly reduced
Obedience and passivity are
rewarded
Negative attitudes and being
ignored are common
Few general friendships
Social Isolation
Difficulty being accepted in
activities, clubs, etc.
Scenario # 4:
 Jody, age 11, said that she was asleep in her bedroom
and that her father came in and took off his robe and
underwear. She stated that he got into bed with her
and pulled up her nightgown and put his private part
on her private part. She stated that he pushed hard
and it hurt. Jody said that the same thing happened
before while her mother was at work. Jody stated that
she told her mother, but her father insisted that she
was lying.
Consequences of Child Abuse:
 Health and physical effects – bruises, burns,
lacerations, broken bones, brain damage, hemorrhages,
permanent disabilities, death, AND
 Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to the
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physical effects of abuse;
Shaken Baby Syndrome (concussions, respiratory distress,
seizures, loss of vision, mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
paralysis, death …);
Nonorganic failure to thrive (growth retardation, cognitive
and psychological problems, death);
Brain damage;
Infection with STDs and HIV;
Chronic sickness, lowered immune responses;
Coping strategies such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use,
overeating …
More consequences:
 Intellectual and cognitive
development
 Some studies show evidence
of lowered intellectual and
cognitive functioning in
abused children as compared
to children who have not
been abused;
 Increased risk of lower
academic achievement and
problematic school
performance;
 Brain damage can occur from
abuse.
More consequences:
 Emotional, Psychological,
and Behavioral Development
 This occurs with all kinds of
abuse:
 Behavioral problems
 Low self-esteem
 Depression and anxiety
 Post traumatic stress disorder
 Attachment difficulties
 Eating disorders
 Poor social relationships
 Self-injurious behavior
BUT DON’T FORGET RESILIENCE!!!
 Resilience, or “protective
factors” that may ameliorate
the effects of abuse:
 Personal characteristics
such as optimism, high selfesteem, high intelligence, a
sense of hopefulness;
 Social support and
relationships with a
supportive adult.
Scenario # 5
 Robert and Charlotte are the parents of a 9-month old
son named Sebastian. Robert and Charlotte used various
drugs together until Robert was arrested and sent to
prison for distributing cocaine. Since his arrest, Charlotte
has been living with different relatives and friends.
Recently, she left Sebastian with her sister, who also has a
history of drug abuse. Her sister went to a local bar and
left Sebastian unattended. After hearing the baby cry for
over an hour, neighbors called the police. When
Charlotte arrived to pick up Sebastian, the police and the
child protection workers were also there. It appeared that
Charlotte had been using drugs.
What can we do as educators?
 Develop and implement
prevention programs for
children and parents;
 Identify and report suspected
child abuse and neglect;
 Recognize and report child
abuse and neglect happening in
the school system;
 Develop a school or program
policy for reporting;
Educators, continued --
 Keep CPS informed of
changes or improvements in
the child’s behavior and
condition following the
investigation;
 Support the child through
potentially traumatic events
such as court hearings or outof-home placement;
 Provide support services for
parents such as schoolsponsored self-help groups;
 Serve on child maltreatment
multidisciplinary teams
If an abused child talks to you …
 Reassure them that
 they have done nothing wrong.
 they are not in trouble with you if they
talk to you.
 you are there to help and listen.
 you want the child to be safe.
 they are brave for telling.
 Do not make suggestions of what
happened.
 Touching is generally discouraged.
 Eye contact is generally helpful.
 Talk in a private area, but with others
close by …
Scenario # 6
 Jackie is a 7-year-old girl who lives with her mother.
Jackie’s mother often screams at her, calls her degrading
names, and threatens to kill her when Jackie
misbehaves. Jackie doesn’t talk in class anymore, doesn’t
have any friends in her neighborhood, and has lost a lot
of weight.
Sources:
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Children’s Bureau, 2006
US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006
http://www.upstate.edu/gch/services/care/
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act – CAPTA
A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The
Foundation for Practice by Jill Goldman, Marsha K. Salus,
Deborah Wolcott, and Kristie Y. Kennedy
 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
 National Clearing House on Child Abuse and Neglect
website: www.calib.com/nccanch/statutes
 National Resource Center for Respite and Crisis Care
Services: Fact Sheet Number 36: Abuse and Neglect of
Children with Disabilities