1. Child Abuse and Neglect
Training for Educators, Part 2
Child Abuse and Neglect:
Signs and Symptoms
Fran Roberson, LCSW, LMFT
Center for Children and Families, Inc.
Norman, Oklahoma

3. Child maltreatment includes:
neglect, physical and emotional
abuse, and sexual abuse.

4. Signs and symptoms may include
 Child’s Behavior  Caregiver’s Behavior

5. Neglect is failure to
provide for a child’s
basic needs.

6. Children’s behaviors may include:
 Lack of confidence, concentration, and social
skills.
 Little to no expectations of care from caregivers.
 Expect to fail at tasks.
 Apathetic, demonstrating little hope in getting
needs met.
 May be needy and dependent, clingy at times.
 Used to taking care of self and siblings.
 Hungry, and often hoards food for self or
siblings.

7. Caregiver’s behavior may include:
 Little to no supervision of children
observable.
 Little attention to child’s needs, i.e.,
clothing, food, attention.
 Apathetic and emotionally unavailable.
 May demonstrate victim posture.
 Communicates sense of hopelessness.

8. 84% of child abuse and
neglect cases are
NEGLECT (Oklahoma 2008)
Substance abuse
by a caregiver has been the greatest
contributing factor to neglect in
Oklahoma.

9. Neglect is also the result of:
 Threat of harm  Failure to provide
 Failure to protect adequate nutrition.
 Abandonment
 Exposure to domestic
violence
 Failure to obtain
medical attention.
 Inadequate or  Educational
dangerous shelter  Failure to obtain
 Lack of supervision psychiatric attention.
 Inadequate physical  Inadequate clothing
care  Failure to thrive

10. Physical abuse
is defined as
inflicting a non-
accidental
physical injury
upon a child.

11. Children’s behavior may include:
 Wary of physical contact with adults.
 Apprehensive when other children cry.
 Demonstrates extremes in behavior
(aggressiveness or withdrawal).
 Seems frightened of parents.
 Reports injury by parents or appears to be using
adult language to explain and injury.
 Exhibits “frozen watchfulness”.
 Developmental delays in language, social skills,
physical skills, and/or cognitive skills.
 May wear inappropriate clothing for the weather,
i.e., long sleeves or coat in warm weather.

12. Caregiver’s behavior may include:
 Responds harshly and applies discipline
inappropriate to child’s age, transgression,
and condition.
 Offers illogical, unconvincing,
contradictory, or no explanation of child’s
injury.
 Significantly misperceives child and
intention of child’s behaviors.
 Has excessively high expectations of
child.
 Demonstrates lack of empathy for child.

13. Emotional abuse
is any pattern of
behavior that
impairs a child’s
emotional
development or
sense of
self-worth.

14. Children’s behaviors may include:
 Appears overly compliant, passive,
undemanding.
 Is extremely aggressive, demanding, or
rageful
 Show overly adaptive behaviors, either
inappropriately adult or inappropriately
infantile.

15. Caregiver’s behavior may include:
 Blames or belittles child.
 Is cold and rejecting.
 Withholds love.
 Treats siblings unequally.
 Seems unconcerned about child’s
problems.

16. Emotional abuse co-exists
with others abuses.
Emotional abuse is difficult to
confirm in isolation.

17. Suspicion of abuse or
neglect of children requires
a report to the Child
Welfare hotline or office in
your county.
As teachers, counselors, or administrators,
we only have to have “suspicion” based on
our best observations and interactions. We
do not have to confirm the abuse . .that is the
state’s job!

18. Sexual abuse is
inappropriate
adolescent or
adult sexual
behavior with a
child.

19. Children’s behaviors may include:
 Appears withdrawn or engages in fantasy
or infantile behavior.
 Has poor peer relationships.
 Is unwilling to participate in physical
activities.
 Has recurrent nightmares or disturbed
sleep patterns and fear of the dark.
 Displays unusual interest or knowledge of
sexual matters, expresses affection in
ways inappropriate for a child of that age.

20. Children’s behaviors may include:
 Fear of a person or an intense dislike at
being left somewhere or with someone.
 Other behavioral signals such as loss of
appetite, aggressive or disruptive
behavior, withdrawal, running away, or
delinquent behavior, failing in school.
 Approaches adults in a sexual manner.
 Demonstrates poor boundaries with
adults, known and unknown to them.
 May wear many clothing layers.

21. Caregiver’s behavior may include:
 Extremely protective or jealous of child.
 Demonstrates favoritism of one child over
another.
 Inappropriate boundaries with children.
 Evidence of role reversals.
 Cautious and concerned about what child
has said to others.

22. Suspicion of abuse or
neglect of children requires
a report to the Child
Welfare hotline or office in
your county.
As teachers, counselors, or administrators,
we only have to have “suspicion” based on
our best observations and interactions. We
do not have to confirm the abuse . .that is the
state’s job!

23. Domestic Violence
Domestic
violence hurts
kids . . .
whether they
see it,
hear it, or
sense it.

24. Children’s behaviors may include:
 Playing out of domestic conflicts
repeatedly.
 Anxious when any disagreement
occurs in their presence.
 Exhibits “frozen watchfulness”.

25. Caregiver’s behavior may include:
 One parent exhibiting controlling
behaviors of other parent.
 One parent exhibiting fear behaviors
toward the other parent.

27. Contact Fran Roberson at the
Center for Children and Families,
Inc. for further questions or
concerns.
froberson@ccfinorman.org
405.364.1420