Abuse Prevention for Developmental Disabilities

Parents of children with developmental disabilities tend to be so overwhelmed with information regarding treating disabilities that abuse issues are often overlooked. This can be very dangerous, as children with developmental disabilities tend to be more vulnerable and therefore more susceptible to abuse. You and your child can take several messages to prevent abuse and avoid abusive situations.

Education

• Check with your local doctor, community organizer and social services office for training and seminars available to parents of children with disabilities. You can often find free training sessions that show you how to identify signs of abuse or identify potentially abusive situations. Educating yourself about the dangers and signs of abusive situations should be your first step toward preventing abuse with your developmentally disabled child. There are often early warning signs that may be indicative of a situation that holds potential for abuse. Abusers will often start abusive behavior slowly until they feel more in control of the child. Early warning signs may present themselves in your child as an unusually heightened sense of fear or withdrawal from social activities. You should also pay attention to how your child is speaking to others or the games that she plays. Often, unexplained violent or inappropriate behavior in your child is an indication that she may be in a situation that is exposing them to abuse. Once you have been educated on detecting the signs of abuse or abusive situations, you should try and communicate with your child as much as possible about self-defense and differentiating between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Educational seminars for parents often give training on how to communicate about abuse issues with your developmentally disabled child. Perhaps most important in preventing abuse is to research all teachers or care takers thoroughly before hiring them to supervise your child. Perform a thorough background and reference check and ask other parents with developmentally disabled children whom they trust to look after their child.

Programs

• Programs available in most communities work with children to teach assertiveness and self-defense. These programs work with children by presenting potentially exploitative situations and using role playing to address ways to handle abusive situations. Sometimes simple black-and-white posters are displayed that demonstrate "good" touching versus "bad" touching, and an instructor will go over these examples with children, one-on-one or in groups. Some programs focus solely on physical self-defense practices. Children are presented with several situations that are abusive and shown physical techniques to defend themselves. Check with your local community center for abuse prevention programs in your area.