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Abstract
This paper reviews abuse and neglect among children and adults with disabilities and highlights the importance of identifying abuse and neglect in these individuals because of their increased vulnerability, difficulties in communication, and potential for ongoing victimization. Patterns of presentation of victimization are discussed and suggestions are given to aid in their recognition among several challenged populations. Developmental considerations in the evaluation of abuse are reviewed, as well as interviewing children with developmental disabilities and supporting parents with developmental disabilities. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and abuse are also discussed, including issues with parenting and intervening with adults who have a disability. We conclude with recommendations to improve practice among adults and children with disabilities.
Keywords: Disability, developmental disability, child abuse, neglect, maltreatment, medical neglect, prevention
Introduction
Despite being extant since the beginning of human civilization, it is only relatively recently that we have come to understand the profound effects of abuse and neglect on persons with a disability. At the time of the classic description of the battered child by C Henry Kempe (1922-1984) in 1962, physical abuse and neglect were not strangers to children with disabilities (1). Later, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) faced almost complete exclusion from schools, communities, and sometimes even homes. Families were regularly counseled to place children with IDD in state-run facilities and were assured that their children would be cared for and protected. Unfortunately, the facilities were often riddled with systemic neglect and abuse. It was within this context that the Federal Government began providing funds to enhance institutions, and parents and others provided private special-education classes and sheltered workshops for children and adults who were living with their families (2). The United States Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was passed in 1974 to establish a national center on child abuse and neglect and to further develop state-based child abuse reporting and response systems, including foster care and home-based services (3). As a result, a number of agencies have been put in place at different levels (e.g., local, state, federal) to improve our response to abuse and neglect.
Despite a variety of societal attitudes that resulted in these inhumane conditions in institutions, particularly for children and adults with IDD, these changes highlight...