Warning signs of child abuse and neglect

 

Warning signs of child abuse and neglect

Warning signs of emotional abuse:

• Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong
• Shows extremes in behavior (extremely compliant, demanding, passive, aggressive)
• Doesn’t seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver
• Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or inappropriately infantile (thumb-sucking, throwing tantrums)

Warning signs of physical abuse:

• Frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts
• Is always watchful and “on alert,” as if waiting for something bad to happen
• Injuries appear to have a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt
• Shies away from touch, flinches at sudden movements, or seems afraid to go home
• Wears inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries, such as long-sleeved shirts on hot days

Warning signs of child neglect:

• Clothes are ill-fitting, filthy, or inappropriate for the weather
• Hygiene is consistently bad (unbathed, matted and unwashed hair, noticeable body odor)
• Untreated illnesses and physical injuries
• Is frequently unsupervised or left alone or allowed to play in unsafe situations
• Is frequently late or missing from school

Warning signs of sexual abuse in children:

• Trouble walking or sitting
• Displays knowledge of sexual acts inappropriate for their age, or even seductive behavior
• Makes strong efforts to avoid a specific person, without an obvious reason
• Doesn’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical activities
• An STD or pregnancy, especially under the age of 14
• Runs away from home

Risk factors for child abuse and neglect

While abuse and neglect occurs in all types of families, children are at a much greater risk in certain situations.

Domestic violence. Even if the abused parent does their best to protect their children, domestic violence is still extremely damaging. Getting out is the best way to help your children.

Alcohol and drug abuse. Parents who are drunk or high may be unable to care for their children, make good parenting decisions, or control often-dangerous impulses. Substance abuse can also lead to physical abuse.

Untreated mental illness. Parents who are suffering from depression, an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or another mental illness may have trouble taking care of themselves, much less their children. A mentally ill or traumatized parent may be distant and withdrawn from their children, or quick to anger without understanding why. Treatment for the caregiver means better care for the children.

Lack of parenting skills. Some caregivers never learned the skills necessary for good parenting. Teen parents, for example, might have unrealistic expectations about how much care babies and small children need. Or parents who were themselves victims of child abuse may only know how to raise their children the way they were raised. Parenting classes, therapy, and caregiver support groups are great resources for learning better parenting skills.

Stress and lack of support. Parenting can be a very time-intensive, stressful job, especially if you’re raising children without support from family and friends, or you’re dealing with relationship problems or financial difficulties. Caring for a child with a disability, special needs, or difficult behaviors is also a challenge. It’s important to get the support you need, so you are emotionally and physically able to support your child.

Why is Parent Involvement Important in Early Education?

 

According to the Harvard Family Research Project, parental involvement are activities that parents conduct at home and in early childhood settings to directly or indirectly support their child’s learning. The same goes for caregivers as well. Whoever is taking care of the child should focus on creating this relationship as it helps extend the child’s learning outside of the classroom and creates a bond which extends to adolescence. This means, through parental involvement, your child is equipped to perform better at school and make better life decisions.

Compiled together from multiple studies, underneath are examples of why parental involvement is important and how it can be accomplished.

1) Why is it important for children?
According to studies:
- children achieve more, regardless of ethnic or racial background, socioeconomic status, or parents’ education level
- children achieve better grades, test scores, and attendance
- children have better self-esteem, are more self-disciplined, and show higher motivation toward school.

So, what do you do to achieve this for your child? 
You don’t need the best educational toy but you do need to spend time with your child working on educational activities. Something as simple as, singing a song about what you are doing while giving a bath to your child is an example of spending educational time with your child.

2) Why is it important for parents?
According to studies:
- you become more confident in your parenting/decision-making skills
- you gain more knowledge of your child’s development, which provides an increased use of positive reinforcement and less use of punishment on your child
- you have a better understanding of the teacher’s job, the school’s curriculum, and their effectiveness

So, what do you do to achieve this for yourself? 
You don’t need to spend a ton of money on the newest toys and apps, but do invest in resources that give you examples of the educational activities that build this relationship and foundation. Something as simple as a picture book or a text message can go a long way in guiding you.

3) Why is it important for schools and teachers?
According to studies:
- schools experience better community support as they usually do better and have higher quality programs than programs that do not have involved parents
- teachers and principals often earn greater respect for their profession from the parents,
- school personnel and the parents both attain higher satisfaction and trust each other more

So, what do you do as a school/teacher to achieve this? 
- invest in providing parents the opportunities/resources for parental involvement

- incentivize parents to spend the necessary educational time with their children. There are many platforms that can accomplish this deed for schools, so partnering up with one program would be the easiest way to go.

 

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>>>>State 4 benefits of parental involvement

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