Home > Treatment for Abused and Neglected Children: Infancy to Age 18 > Treatment for Abused and Neglected Children: Infancy to Age 18: Introduction

Treatment for Abused and Neglected Children: Infancy to Age 18
User Manual Series (1994)

Author(s):  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Urquiza, Winn

Year Published:  1994

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You are in section: Table of Contents Attribution Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 - Child Development and… 2 - Consequences of Abuse and… 3 - Assessment of Child… 4 - Therapy 5 - Treatment Issues for… 6 - Case Management Conclusion Notes Glossary of Terms Selected Bibliography Other Resources

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Introduction

Providing therapeutic interventions for abused and neglected children requires:

• an understanding of normal child development and the processes of abnormal development or psychopathology as well as an ability to assess the severity and types of behavioral, emotional, developmental, and psychological problems that abused children present;
  
  
• familiarity with the major issues common to abused children; and,
  
  
• the skills necessary to manage these types of cases.

Providing treatment to abused children is a significant undertaking requiring clinical training and education. This manual provides an overview of the therapeutic issues for professionals in the fields of social work, family therapy, psychology, psychiatry, criminal justice, and child development; it may serve as a supplement for students and professionals interested in this area of practice. It does not substitute for training in providing psychotherapy for abused and neglected children. Throughout this manual, multiple references have been used to encourage readers to continue their education and training in the areas of child development, child maltreatment, assessment of children, and therapeutic interventions with children.

This manual provides an overview of child development followed by a description of the relatively new field of developmental psychopathology that "refers to the study of clinical dysfunction in the context of maturational and developmental processes."¹ Developmental psychopathology is founded on recognizing the value of normal development throughout childhood and acknowledging that many childhood life events and experiences (i.e., maltreatment) can distort this development. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the therapist to:

• understand the various contexts in which the abused child-client exists;
  
  
• assess clients within their environments and identify dysfunctional behaviors, emotions, and cognition; and,
  
  
• provide interventions that address identified problems and assist adaptation and a return to healthy functioning.
  
  
• In addition, there is special emphasis on several unique issues that have been found to be common "disruptions" to abused and neglected children.

In most cases, the framework for this manual consists of classifications of child development into:

• intrapersonal development (developmental processes within the child);
  
  
• interpersonal development (developmental processes between the child and others in his/her life);
  
  
• physical development (physical, body, and motor development);
  
  
• sexual development (development of sexual behavior, thoughts, and feelings); and,
  
  
• behavioral conduct development (management of behavior, self-control, and regulation).

It is acknowledged that the developmental processes of children cannot adequately be separated into such categories, primarily because the process of healthy functioning relies on the integration of these factors and because these classifications overlap in many areas.

Additionally, for the convenience of readers of this manual, these categories have been separated into some, but not all, of the major developmental processes that occur throughout childhood. For example, it has long been argued that the development of a child's self-concept, self-esteem, or self-image is a product of one's perception of him/herself, based on the perception of others, which is also called the "looking-glass self." ^{2 3} To assert that the developing child's self-concept is based solely within any single domain would be false. A child develops an image of him/herself as a thinking and feeling individual (intrapersonal), as an individual in relation to others (interpersonal), as big, strong, small, or weak (physical), as a sexual being (sexual), and understands that his or her behaviors have consequences for him/herself as well as for others (behavioral conduct). Therefore, these classifications are used for the purposes of presenting an overview of development, examining the maladaptive consequences of child maltreatment, and discussing therapeutic interventions.

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You are in section: Table of Contents Attribution Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 - Child Development and… 2 - Consequences of Abuse and… 3 - Assessment of Child… 4 - Therapy 5 - Treatment Issues for… 6 - Case Management Conclusion Notes Glossary of Terms Selected Bibliography Other Resources

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This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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Updated on October 9, 2009