Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities PDF
Preview Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities
E. Paula Crowley Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities ThiS is a FM Blank Page E. Paula Crowley Preventing Abuse and Neglect in the Lives of Children with Disabilities E. Paula Crowley Department of Special Education Illinois State University Normal, IL, USA ISBN 978-3-319-30440-3 ISBN 978-3-319-30442-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-30442-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016935703 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland To children with disabilities, their parents, families, neighbors, friends, and the professional personnel who care about them. ThiS is a FM Blank Page Foreword The world can be a dangerous place for children with and without disabilities. When we are aware and understood those dangers, we act to prevent potential injury. For example, we recognize the danger of car accidents, so we require children to be placed in appropriate car seats. We recognize the danger of drowning, so we establish nationwide programs to teach children how to swim as well as mark potentially unsafe places for swimmers. We recognize the danger of fires, so we establish fire prevention codes concerning clothing, furniture, and structures. More recently, we recognized the danger of bullying, so we now expect, or legislatively require, our schools to establish anti-bullying programs. Unfortunately, we do not recognize, understand, discuss, or act to prevent childhood dangers that are simply so horrific that they essentially become taboo topics of conversation. These are the dangers of child neglect, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. E. Paula Crowley has written a courageous text, and her work addresses a significant gap in our knowledge base. Each year, approximately 3.5 million referrals, involving 6.4 million children with and without disabilities suspected of experiencing abuse and neglect are made to Child Protective Services in the United States. News broadcasts, newspaper articles, and YouTube videos yield a daily deluge of stories of children who are starved, beaten, violated, and emotionally harmed by individuals from within or known by their families. The stories are frequently so outrageous and so distasteful that we attempt to erase them from our minds. Unfortunately, children who experience these circumstances do not have this option; instead, they often pay a very heavy lifelong “price” for something that might have been prevented. That price may include poor physical health, inappropriate behavior (e.g., withdrawn, aggressive, over compliant, etc.), risky social behavior (e.g., drug abuse, sexually activity, running away, etc.), learning problems, academic failure or even death. Data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) entitled “The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Study” indicate that the impact of abuse and neglect is not limited to childhood. Adults who experienced childhood abuse and neglect dem- onstrate lifelong accelerated risks for psychological problems, drug addiction, life vii viii Foreword threatening illness, and suicide. The dangers and impact of childhood neglect, physical, sexual, and psychological abuses are both real and prevalent. The question becomes, what can we do to prevent, or at least reduce the occurrence, duration, and impact of child neglect and abuse? Paraphrasing the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), we must accept the things we cannot change, change the things we can, and have wisdom to know the difference. Child abuse and neglect most frequently occurs in families experiencing a litany of problems including: • Economic distress • Spousal abuse • Mental health problems • Drug addiction • Criminal behavior • Insecure and chaotic housing and participants (i.e., individuals coming into and leaving the home) • Prior history of child abuse • Inadequate parent/child bonding, parenting skills, social network, and coping strategies These problems are prevalent throughout all segments of society. A family’s ethnicity, wealth, education, or social standing do not preclude, or inherently predict, whether a child will, or will not, experience abuse or neglect. Perpetrators are often trusted individuals either within or known by families. In the context of the “Serenity Prayer,” we cannot change the families into which children are born. Nor, can we identify, understand, and resolve all family problems. What can we do? We can learn the signs, or the indicators that a child may be experiencing abuse and/or neglect. We can be on the “lookout” for the occurrence of those signs in the children we see in the store, church, neighborhood, school, or playground. We can call 1-800-FOR-A-CHILD 24/7 to have a confidential conversation with a coun- selor to figure out whether our suspicions merit a call to the local Child Protective Services. We can also identify those children who are at greatest risk for experienc- ing abuse and/or neglect. Given that information, we can then work to give children who are vulnerable the knowledge and skills they need to recognize, avoid, and report abusive and neglectful situations. Children with disabilities experience abuse and neglect at a rate that is three to four times greater than that experienced by their nondisabled peers. Existing evidence indicates that 27 % of children with disabilities will experience abuse and 90 % will experience bullying before age 19. As a result, it is for this group, i.e., students with disabilities, that we are most challenged to accept abuse and neglect prevention responsibilities. The purpose of this text is to give caregivers and professionals the depth of knowledge required to understand, design, implement, and evaluate programs designed to prevent, recognize, and report abuse and neglect in the lives of children with disabilities. The challenge is to integrate prevention efforts within the context of the children’s day-to-day lives at home, in school, and the community. Inherent Foreword ix within the prevention design for children with disabilities is early intervention programming. Efforts to enhance parent/child bonding, enrich parent/child interac- tions, deepen human understanding, and strengthen family support systems will contribute to the prevention of abuse and neglect in the lives of children with and without disabilities. Within school settings it is critical that children with disabilities learn: (1) that they have the right to say “NO” and to express that right, how that right changes over time, and what to do if that right is not respected; (2) how families and friends love and interact with their children; (3) the language needed to express their feelings and to share the who, what, when, how, and where of their day-to-day experiences; (4) how to make and keep age appropriate friends; (5) that while keeping “surprises” is good, keeping “secrets” is not; (6) to tell an adult if they are experiencing neglect, abuse, and/or bullying; and (7) how their emerging sexuality affects their bodies and their emotions. Children with disabilities and their families have unique legal rights. These rights mandate their access to the necessary resources and services designed to meet their individual needs. Their Individualized Family Service Plans, Individual Education Plans, and 504 Plans are individualized legal documents that are designed to guide their education. Unfortunately, most education and related service professionals lack the training or resources needed to use the children’s educational documents effectively so to prevent, recognize, report, and respond appropriately to their maltreatment experiences, including abuse, neglect, and bullying. This text represents a significant effort to address this problem. Kent State University Harold A. Johnson Kent, OH, USA
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