Dr LeCrone
05-21-2006, 09:51 PM
Johnny’s teacher noticed a difference in the way Johnny acted in class. He seemed withdrawn, very quiet and uninterested in activities that previously had been a delight to him. His mind seemed to wander much of the time in class; he had ever begun to ask to stay inside during recess. Abused children often are kept at home until their injuries are less evident in order to avoid detection.
The teacher noticed that Johnny always wore long-sleeved shirts and kept the collars buttoned at all times. She thought this was strange as it was very warm and other children were all wearing short-sleeved open-neck shirts.
After stating that he was not feeling well, Johnny was sent to the school nurse. After unbuttoning his shirt and seeking black and blue marks on his back, the nurse and the teacher made a referral to the proper authorities.
Johnny was found to be a victim of one of America’s greatest, yet often undetected tragedies, child abuse.
How can this happen, and what causes child abuse? A pattern of abuse may go undetected for years or even throughout the victim’s childhood. Child abusers often give implausible explanations for their child’s injuries, and even perceive them as being minor and inconsequential.
Stressful events in the home are often precipitating factors and include marital strife, loss of a job or housing, physical fatigue, birth of a sibling, alcohol and drug abuse, legal problems, and major illness. Where a spouse is abused, the incidence of child abuse doubles. Child abusers are frequently lonely and unhappy individuals who are angry and under a lot of pressure. Their lifestyles are chaotic. Poverty seems to increase the incidence of child abuse because with it comes increased incidences of life crises. Many child abusers will reveal that they were abused children. Mothers seem to be at a greater risk for child abuse because they are the primary caretakers. Generally speaking, however, only one parent abuses the child; the other takes a supportive or neutral role.
While physical abuse generally comes to mind, there are also many cases of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Infants and pre-schoolers are at a high risk because they are defenseless, often demanding, a less verbal. Children who exhibit low impulse control and acting out tendencies, as well as those who are perceived as being different from their parents, either physically or emotionally, are also at high risk, as are hyperactive children, retarded children, or even children that are more intelligent than their parents.
Some of marks of physical abuse include:
Bruises, often confined to the low back and buttocks of a child
Finger and thumbprints on the arms or face
Slap marks
Adult-sized bit or choke marks, especially in the neck area
Restraint marks on the wrists or ankles
Bald spots where hair has been pulled out
Burn marks from cigarettes or hot water
Neurological injuries, often undetected by a layman. A violent shaking of a child can produce retinal hemorrhage.
Much attention is focused on child abuse in view of recent alarming findings. And early recognition and detection can lead to early intervention and even protection.
Next week’s column will examine more about this tragic problem and see what help is available in our community.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984
The teacher noticed that Johnny always wore long-sleeved shirts and kept the collars buttoned at all times. She thought this was strange as it was very warm and other children were all wearing short-sleeved open-neck shirts.
After stating that he was not feeling well, Johnny was sent to the school nurse. After unbuttoning his shirt and seeking black and blue marks on his back, the nurse and the teacher made a referral to the proper authorities.
Johnny was found to be a victim of one of America’s greatest, yet often undetected tragedies, child abuse.
How can this happen, and what causes child abuse? A pattern of abuse may go undetected for years or even throughout the victim’s childhood. Child abusers often give implausible explanations for their child’s injuries, and even perceive them as being minor and inconsequential.
Stressful events in the home are often precipitating factors and include marital strife, loss of a job or housing, physical fatigue, birth of a sibling, alcohol and drug abuse, legal problems, and major illness. Where a spouse is abused, the incidence of child abuse doubles. Child abusers are frequently lonely and unhappy individuals who are angry and under a lot of pressure. Their lifestyles are chaotic. Poverty seems to increase the incidence of child abuse because with it comes increased incidences of life crises. Many child abusers will reveal that they were abused children. Mothers seem to be at a greater risk for child abuse because they are the primary caretakers. Generally speaking, however, only one parent abuses the child; the other takes a supportive or neutral role.
While physical abuse generally comes to mind, there are also many cases of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Infants and pre-schoolers are at a high risk because they are defenseless, often demanding, a less verbal. Children who exhibit low impulse control and acting out tendencies, as well as those who are perceived as being different from their parents, either physically or emotionally, are also at high risk, as are hyperactive children, retarded children, or even children that are more intelligent than their parents.
Some of marks of physical abuse include:
Bruises, often confined to the low back and buttocks of a child
Finger and thumbprints on the arms or face
Slap marks
Adult-sized bit or choke marks, especially in the neck area
Restraint marks on the wrists or ankles
Bald spots where hair has been pulled out
Burn marks from cigarettes or hot water
Neurological injuries, often undetected by a layman. A violent shaking of a child can produce retinal hemorrhage.
Much attention is focused on child abuse in view of recent alarming findings. And early recognition and detection can lead to early intervention and even protection.
Next week’s column will examine more about this tragic problem and see what help is available in our community.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1984