DOCUMENT RESUME EC 300 775 ED 339 165 Warger, Cynthia L.; And Others AUTHOR Abuse and Neglect of Exceptional Children. TITLE Exceptional Children at Risk: CEC Mini-Library. Council for Exceptional Children, Reston, Va.; ERIC INSTITUTION Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children, Reston, Va. Special Education Programs (ED/OSERS), Washington, SPONS AGENCY DC. ISBN-0-86586-208-7 REPORT NO 91 PUB DATE RI88062007 CONTRACT 55p.; For related documents, see EC 300 774-784. NOTE Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association AVAILABLE FROM Dr., Reston, VA 22091-1589 (Stock No. P351: $8.00). Information Analyses - ERIC Clearinghouse Products PUB TYPE (071) -- Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Change Strategies; *Child Abuse; *Child Neglect; DESCRIPTORS *Disabilities; Elementary Secondary Education; Intervention; *Prevention; Program Development; School Role; Teacher Role ABSTRACT This booklet reviews the literature and offers practical suggestions for dealing with exceptional children who are, describes what is or are suspected of being, abused and neglected. It known about child abuse in general and then as it specifically relates to children with disabilities. It examines factors associated with abuse and outlines implicetione for practitioners and implications for program development and administratlon. It also offers strategies to assist educators in combating abuse in their schools. The booklet concludes with a list of 85 references and 40 resource organizations. (JDD) *************************g****************WV************************* Reproductions supplied Dy EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** PA DEPARTISCNT OF IOLOCATIOs Otore of Eduesooliat Fkaaatco and onpgasarneof . . Se fa. 0. nohbv. REsouRcts F INFORMATION 4. IF 1 CE OMER IERfC1 10 4. 11°"' * to* *seamen' naii beton rep/educed as *. ii, received "tom me poison ot organtraban ornanaung n ahnor thanges Mae been made so improve * A-411b... tepladurtum *tams thttitineu Porn*, ot 4new 0 odnuons stated in bookint not maces*** tonpasent "cud mem or. alisett bit Of Pt 1,0111b0r. ot tobcy _AskihdhaitlagEm--- 'IL 9 som 2. es, L ; to. f and f buse I e ied ot P Exce tional hit ren . Aw-m-Silia -A0. fit aLlihjii:./L Cynthia L Watger si log 111110.___ with Stephanna Tewey and Mariarie Megivern . 6. I A 416. It 34 # 411 . PEST CPI MIME * IERicf FoW kw ,Jegh, fiaspecod Mho gbh /9buse and Neglect of s a a f U. II S. 4.11 PIP' It* # Exceptional 0, 4 1. Children ah4 Cynthia L Warger with Stephunna Tewey and Marpie Megivern Pubhshed by The Com] far Excepnonol Children ER= Mkt of the UK Clearinghouse 3 ffee&opped and Gifted Chiktien Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 91-58103 ISBN 0-86586-208-7 A product of the ERIC / OSEP Special Project, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children Published in 1991 by The Council for Exceptional Children, 1910 Asmiciation Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091-1589 Stock No. P351 This publication was prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, contract no. R188062007. Contractors undertaking such projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their judgment in professional and technical matters. Prior to publication the manuscript was submitted for critical review and determination of professional competence. This publication has met such standards. Points of view, however, do not necessarily represent the official view or opinions of either The Council for Exceptional Children or the Department of Education. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 3 1 4 Contents Foreword, v 1. Introduction, 1 and many of it is estimated that 1 million children air abused annually, ameerned with these children have disabilities. Many special educators are additional attention and ll children who are abused since they require support to overcome disabling effects of abuse. 2. Synthesis of Research, 2 abuse or e x- Tom of abuse include physical and mental injury, sexual Eadi state ploitation, negligent treatment, and maltreatment of children. been found has a legal definition of abuse. Chhdren with disabilities have child abuse cases, and special to comprise a disproportionate number of disabilities. Some issues arise in cases that involve both sexual abuse and hare been iden- factors associated with parents who abuse their children tified. lt is unclear whether children who have disabilities are at greater created risk of being abused, but there are certainly cases in which abuse has physical disabilities and health problems. 3. Implications for Practitioners, 12 behaviors Educators are in a unique position to identify and riyort ins symptomatic of abuse and neglect. Variations in state laws and report requirements result in variations in districts' referral processes. Implications for Program Development and Administration, 20 identified. Steps for establishing effective reporting procedures have been Preventative measures include school programs and support for parents r- of children with disabilities, preventative programs for students, and measures for preventing institutional abuse and abuse by school staff. References, 31 Resources, 37 tv 6 Foreword EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN AT RISK CEC Mini-Library Many of today's pressing social problems, such as poverty, homeless- ness, drug abuse, and child abuse, are factors that place children and youth at risk in a variety of ways. There is a growing need for special educators to understand the risk factors that studenb must face and, in particular, the risks confronting children and youth who have been identified as exceptional A child may be at risk due to a number of quite daferent phenomena, such as poverty or abuse. Therefore, the child may be at riskftn. a variety of problems, such as developmental delays; debil- itating physical illnesses or psychological disorders; failing or dropping out of school; being incarcerated; or generally having an unrewarding, unproductive adulthood. Compounding the difficulties that both the child and the educator face in dealing with these risk factors is the unhappy truth that a child may have more than one risk factor, thereby multiplying his or her risk and need. The struggle within special education to address these issues was the genesis of the 1991 CEC conference "Children on the Edge." The content for the conference strands is represented by this series of publi- cations, which were developed through the assistance of the Division of Innovation and Development of the US. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). OSEP funds the ERIC/OSEP Special Project, a re- search dissemination activity of The Council for Exceptional Children. As a part of its publication program, which synthesizes and translates research in special education for a variety of audiences, the ERIC/OSEP Special Project coordinated the development of this series of books and assisted in their dissemination to special education practitioners. 7 Each book in the series pertains to one of the conference strands. Each provides a synthesis of the literature in its area, followed by prac- tical suggestionsderived from the literaturefor program developers, administrators, and teachers. The 11 books in the series are as follows; that a Programming for Aggressiveand Violent Students addresses issues educators and other professionals face in contending with episodes of violence and aggression in the schools. Abuse and Neglect of Erceptional Children examines the role of the special educator in dealing with children who are abused and neglected and those with suspected abuse and negledt. Special Health Care in the School provides a broad-based definition of the population of students with special health needs and discusses their unique educational needs. Homeless and in Need of Special Education examines the plight of the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, families with children. Hidden Youth: Dropouts from Special Education addresses the difficul- ties of comparing and drawing meaning from dropout data prepared by different agencies and examines the characteristics of students and schools that place students at risk for leaving school prematurely. Born Substance Exposed, Educationally Vulnerable examines what is known about the long-term effects of exposure in utero to alcohol and other drugs, as well as the educational implications of those effects. Depression and Suicide: Special Education Students at Risk reviews the role of school personnel in detecting signs of depression and poten tial suicide and in taking appropriate action, as well as the role of the school in developing and implementing treatment programs for this population. Language Minority Students with Disabilities discusses the prepara- tion needed by schools and school personnel to meet the needs of limited-English-proficient students with disabilities. Alcohol and Other Drugs: Use, Abuse, and Disabilities addresses the issues involved in working with children and adolescents who have disabling conditions and use alcohol and other drugs. Rural, Exceptional, At Risk examines the unique difficulties of deliver- ing education services to at-risk children and youth with excep- tionalities who live in rural areas. vi Double Jeopardy: Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Spirial Education addresses the plight of pregnant teenagers and teenage parents, especially those in special education, and the role of program developers and practitioners in responding to their educational needs, Background information applicable to the conference strand on juvenile corrections can be found in another publication, Speck! Educa- tion in Juvenile Corrections, which is a part of the CEC Mini-Library That publication addresses the Working with Behavioral Disoniers. demographics of incarcerated youth and promising practices in respond- ing to their needs. vil f4 1. IntroductIon It is estimated that I million children we abused annually, and many of these children have disabilities. Many special educators ase concerned wfth ell children who are abused since They require additional attention and support to overcome disabling effects of abuse. Fourinzr-dd Brian has wandered, once again, unsupervised from his home. It is near midnight, and he is frightened. He crawls into a druinage pipe under an overpass and cries as the cars whiz by overhold. Six-yo2r-old Deanna cries zaien her teacher asks her to sit. The night before. her stepfizther tied her hands with a dirty kitchen rag, blindfolded hcr, and forced himself sexually on her, Harlan cowers from the teacher when she asks alvut the series of burns on the hack of his nerk. He claims that a match accidental! y fell on him. Why would a parent or adult intentionally cause any one of these maladies to happen in a child? What kind of society permits child maltreatment? If we knew the answer to these questions, we could effectively intervene to stop the pain and sugering that happens nation- wide each year to more than an estimated 1 million children, many of whom are disabled (National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1988). Child abuse, broadly defined as willful behavior by parents or guar- dians that harms a child in their care (Garbarino, 19871), is not a new phenomenon; yet our knowledge about how to prevent and effectively intervene to stop abuse is limited. We know that abusers come from all socioeconomic, racial, religious, and ethnic groups (Mullins, 1986), but beyond that, we cannot be too conclusive. Fortunately, over the past two decades we have expanded our understanding of child abuse and neglect. We have some answers. For many special educators, all abused children, with or without disabilities, are considered to be special. They require additional support and attention to overcome the potentially disabling effects of the abuse. Special educators can play a crucial role in preventing child abuse, as well as in reporting and supporting victims of child abuse. This book is intended to provide special educators with an overview of what we know about child abuse. It first describes what we know from the research and professional literature about child abuse generally and, 10