|
Lesson Four: (Continued)
| Indicators of Physical Abuse |
| • |
Hostile, aggressive behaviors
|
|
| • |
Extreme fear or anxiety
|
|
| • |
Withdrawal or apparent depression
|
|
| • |
Self-destructive behaviors (self-mutilation, banging of head, etc.)
|
|
| • |
Destruction of property
|
|
| • |
Verbally abusive of others
|
|
| • |
Impulsive acting-out
|
|
| Indicators of Sexual Abuse/Neglect |
|
| • |
Sexualized behavior (precocious knowledge of sexual behavior,
excessive interest or curiosity in sexual matters, attempts to engage in sexual
acting-out)
|
|
| • |
Hostile, aggressive
|
|
| • |
Fearful, withdrawn
|
|
| • |
Self-destructive
|
|
| • |
Pseudo-mature (seems mature beyond chronological age)
|
|
| • |
Eating disorders
|
|
| • |
Alcohol/drug abuse
|
|
| • |
Running away
|
|
| • |
Clingy, indiscriminate attachment
|
|
| • |
Self-isolation
|
|
| • |
Depression, passivity
|
|
| Indicators of Emotional Abuse |
| • |
Lacks self-esteem; self-critical to extreme
|
|
| • |
Seeks approval to an extreme
|
|
| • |
Seems unable to be autonomous, makes few choices, fears rejection.
|
|
| • |
Hostile, verbally abusive, provocative
|
Guidelines for Assessments of Child Abuse
The best information is not what the child tells you but what the child shows
by her/his behavior.
As a helping professional, you must stay alert and responsive to child behaviors
described above. Children will rarely report they are being abused but, unable to
stop it, they frequently develop coping mechanisms and behaviors, which bring
them to the attention of others.
These children tend to be fiercely loyal to their parents, often demonstrating
a pathological dependency on them. They may try to adapt and comply in order to
please the parents, serve as caretakers, or protect against a physical attack,
inappropriate sexual attention, or rejection. For additional information on the
assessment of child abuse,
see Appendix 4.
|
