Dr LeCrone
05-31-2006, 11:08 AM
Johnny’s teacher noticed a difference in the way Johnny acted in class. He seemed withdrawn, quiet and uninterested in activities that previously had been a delight to him. His mind seemed to wander much of the time. He had even begun to ask to stay inside during recess.
First noticing that Johnny always wore long sleeved shirts, she noticed that he kept the collars buttoned at all times, even in warm weather.
After stating that he was not feeling well, Johnny was sent to the school nurse. After unbuttoning his shirt and seeing 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 and often undetected tragedies, child abuse.
What causes child abuse? A pattern of abuse may go undetected for years or even throughout the victim’s childhood.
Stressful event 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.
Child abusers are frequently lonely and unhappy individuals who are angry and under 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 were abused children, themselves. 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 and neglect. Infants and preschoolers are high risk because they are defenseless, often demanding and 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 high risk, as are hyperactive children, retarded children or even children who are more intelligent than their parents.
Some of the physical abuses include:
Bruises, often confined to the low back and buttocks of a child.
Finger and thumb prints on the arms or face.
Slap marks.
Adult-sized bite 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. For instance, violent shaking of a child can produce retinal hemorrhage.
Much attention is focused on child abuse in view of recent alarming findings. But early recognition and detection can lead to early intervention and even protection.
In next week’s column I will examine more about this tragic problem and talk about help available in our community.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1989
First noticing that Johnny always wore long sleeved shirts, she noticed that he kept the collars buttoned at all times, even in warm weather.
After stating that he was not feeling well, Johnny was sent to the school nurse. After unbuttoning his shirt and seeing 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 and often undetected tragedies, child abuse.
What causes child abuse? A pattern of abuse may go undetected for years or even throughout the victim’s childhood.
Stressful event 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.
Child abusers are frequently lonely and unhappy individuals who are angry and under 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 were abused children, themselves. 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 and neglect. Infants and preschoolers are high risk because they are defenseless, often demanding and 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 high risk, as are hyperactive children, retarded children or even children who are more intelligent than their parents.
Some of the physical abuses include:
Bruises, often confined to the low back and buttocks of a child.
Finger and thumb prints on the arms or face.
Slap marks.
Adult-sized bite 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. For instance, violent shaking of a child can produce retinal hemorrhage.
Much attention is focused on child abuse in view of recent alarming findings. But early recognition and detection can lead to early intervention and even protection.
In next week’s column I will examine more about this tragic problem and talk about help available in our community.
Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1989