Signs of Child Abuse  -- Child Behaviors

Signs can indicate any form of child abuse:

* Suicide attempts, talk of suicide, self-injury, runs away

* Aggressive, disruptive, and sometimes illegal behavior

* Anger and rage, or feelings of sadness or other symptoms of depression

* Lags in physical, emotional, social and intellectual development

* Anxiety or unexplained fears, or flashbacks and nightmares, constant  apprehension

* Broken bones or internal injuries; Burns, Cuts and Bruises w/ Hard-to-believe stories about how accidents occurred**

* Changes in a child's behavior or school performance, School problems or failure, Skips or misses school frequently 

* Consistently dirty, unwashed, hungry, or inappropriately dressed; Constantly tired or listless, Poor self-image, Has unattended physical problems or lacks routine medical care and treatment for a medical condition, Lacks of dental care, Needs but doesn't have eyeglasses

* Drug and alcohol abuse,  Risky Sexual behaviors and acting out,  Self-destructive or self-abusive behavior,

* Appears overly compliant, passive, undemanding, withdrawn, over-obedient, Behaves very adult-like

* Cries frequently, avoids social contact, Startles easily, finds it difficult to make and keep friends

* Demonstrates extremes in behavior, attitude, temperament,

* Engages in dangerous activities and delinquent acts, Destroys or throws things, Fights with other children, Stealing

* Abnormal eating behaviors, Begs for or steals food, Loses weight or fails to gain weight, Constant hunger or thirst

* Immature behaviors such as thumb-sucking or rocking, Appears withdrawn or engaged in fantasy or infantile behavior, wetting or soiling the bed or clothing

* Loiters at school or friends - indicates a fear to go home, Fears a certain person or certain places

* Has been abandoned or is without supervision for extended periods of time

* Reports injury by parents  

Signs of Sexual Abuse

* Has torn, stained, or bloody underclothing

* Experiences pain or itching in the genital area

* Has bruises or bleeding in external genitalia, vagina, or anal regions

* Has a sexually transmitted disease

* Has swollen or red cervix, vulva, or perineum

* Engages in inappropriate sexualized behavior; Devalues sexual acts and acts sexually permissive

* Gives an unusual or unexpected response when asked if he or she was touched by someone

* Creates drawings that show sexual acts or that seem overly focused on sexual body parts; More knowledge about sex than is normal for the child's age, Seems preoccupied with or overly concerned about sexual acts and words

* Reports sexual abuse

 

Caretaker's Behavior:
(Child abuse is more likely to be occuring when coupled with many of the following familial traits.)

* An adult was abused as a child, Parental depression or mental illness, Violence in the home, Social isolation of the caretaker (the person feels that he or she has no support), Parental chronic physical illness

* Extreme overprotection of child, Has performance expectations which are beyond the age capabilities of the child

* Alcoholism or drug addiction, Maintains chaotic home life

* Uses harsh discipline inappropriate to child's age, transgression, and condition

* Offers illogical, unconvincing, contradictory, or no explanation of child's injury; Seems unconcerned about child, Attempts to conceal child's injury or to protect identity of person responsible

* Is mentally ill or of diminished intelligence; Has history of neglect as a child; Overly self absorbed,  Shows evidence of apathy or futility, Blames or belittles child; Is cold and rejecting; Withholds love; Treats siblings unequally;

* Psychotic or psychopathic

* Significantly misperceives child (e.g., sees child as bad, evil, a monster, etc.), An adult views a child as being different from the parent's preconceived expectations; The parent perceives a child as having special needs;

* Recent addition of step-parent, Family stress due to job loss, financial urdens, illness, death, separation, or divorce

* There is a crisis or series of crises 

* Poor or no adherence to medical and education recommendations for child

Sexual Abuse - Caretaker Behaviors

* Extremely protective or jealous of child

* Encourages child to engage in prostitution or sexual acts

* Has been sexually abused as a child

* Is experiencing marital difficulties

* Parent who is frequently absent from home

* Has difficulty in interacting emotionally with adults.

 

**Note: Physical signs can take may different forms.  It is not unusual to find the following: bruises or welts on body or face (especially in various states of healing, in unusual patterns or clusters which would reflect the instrument or in multiple areas of the body); Burns (cigar or cigarette burns, glove or sock-like burns on extremities, doughnut-shaped burns on buttocks, or any burn that shows the shape of the item used, such as an iron); Fractures (spiral fractures of long bones without a history of twisting force as the cause, multiple fractures in various stages of healing, any fracture in a child under two); Internal injuries; Lacerations and abrasions (especially around the mouth, lip, eye, or external genitalia); Human bite marks.