THE IMPACT OF NEGLECT AND ABUSE ON CHILDREN’S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Power Point Outline* I. Introduction and General Background Facts II. Abuse of the Disabled III. Behavioral and Language Characteristics IV. Implications for Assessment and Intervention V. Supporting Caregivers

I. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL BACKGROUND FACTS** Children may experience abuse and/or neglect (AN) The highest rate of child abuse is experienced by children between birth and 3 years of age

American Society for the Positive Care of Children, 2015:** Over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members. That is nearly four times the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The child maltreatment death rate in the US is triple Canada’s and 11 times that of Italy.

Sheehan Stanford Child Neurology:

Neglect…** Is the failure to provide for a child’s basic needs It can be emotional, educational, or physical

Children who experience physical neglect…** Often experience this because their parents are unable to provide what they need—they are poor May be inappropriately left at home alone

These physically neglected children…

Recent national statistics indicate that in terms of perpetrators by relationship to the victim:** 78.5% are parents 6.5% are other relatives (total of 85% are relatives) 0.4% are foster parents 0.7% are child daycare providers 4.1% are unmarried partners of the child’s parent 0.3% are friends or neighbors

Children who have experienced severe emotional neglect…** May be lethargic and apathetic May demonstrate learned helplessness May have cognitive problems, including difficulty with impulse control and problem-solving skills

II. ABUSE OF THE DISABLED** ( Reports: physical and sexual abuse of individuals with disabilities runs 3-4 times higher than abuse in the general population Disabled girls esp. vulnerable targets; often, family members abuse them

Some research suggests that…

This is one reason…** That we need to provide medical care for these babies as early as possible

Children with disabilities…** Put a lot more stress on their caregivers When caregivers are stressed and have no respite, they are more likely to neglect and abuse their children

Caregivers may…

III. BEHAVIORAL AND LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS** They are often very quiet Difficulties with expressive language They have lesser conversational skills than their peers They may be less likely than peers to discuss information or volunteer

**These children often do more poorly in school They underperform academically They have more behavior problems

Specific difficulties with pragmatics may include:

Other specific language issues may include:** Shorter, less complex utterances Fewer decontextualized utterances; more talk about the here and now Auditory and reading comprehension problems

Mothers who neglect or abuse babies:

Shaken baby syndrome may occur** We must stress to caregivers that they should NEVER shake a baby This causes lifetime cognitive and linguistic damage

Sheehan Stanford Neurology:

IV. IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION** We need to work as part of a multidisciplinary team This team often includes a social worker and a psychologist We are mandated to document and report what we see and hear In the schools, we would tell the principal

In assessment, we especially need to focus on evaluating:** Overall expressive language skills Pragmatics skills Narrative skills Vocabulary

Intervention should involve…

Intervention may especially need to involve…** Playing! We can provide appropriate dolls/action figures, art supplies, etc. As the child is playing or drawing, describe his actions or drawings

** AN ch more likely than peers to engage in behavior that elicits negative reactions from those around them ↑ ability to communicate socially

We can work on self esteem by using ideas such as:** Star of the Week Me Collage Problem Wall Trip to the Future

Remember that…** Culturally and linguistically diverse families may especially need direct instruction about American child abuse laws I think that we should do this before we refer the family to CPS (Child Protective Services)

Many refugee parents…

V. SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS** Remember that in the U.S., most people do not have help and support from extended families like they do in other countries Frequently caregivers are isolated with their children, and they can become extremely stressed

It can be very stressful…** When a baby cries nonstop for hours and you are alone with no help—you can’t leave

Sheehan Stanford Neurology:

**1. Ask caregivers about their own needs, and attempt to help them meet these needs or guide to them to professionals who can help them (e.g., parenting classes, food stamp programs) 2. Provide key information about overall child development. Research shows that some caregivers abuse their children because the caregivers’ expectations are too high.

** One friend told me about her great grandson—at 3 years of age, expected to change his own diapers—was hit when he did not In winter, allowed to go barefoot and get splinters—no coat

Sheehan:

**6. Teach caregivers how to use language/words to discipline instead of using physical means such as slapping. For example, caregivers can be taught how to apply choices and consequences. 7. Model language stimulation strategies such as extensions that caregivers can easily fit into their daily routines.

Power Point Outline* I. Introduction and General Background Facts II. Abuse of the Disabled III. Behavioral and Language Characteristics IV. Implications for Assessment and Intervention V. Supporting Caregivers