What are the Indicators of Child Abuse?

There are many indicators...but no single factor is necessarily conclusive.  It's the combination of clues that often tells the tale of abuse.

An abused and/or neglected child generally:

• Display welts or other skin injuries.

• Wear dirty or inappropriate clothing for the weather.

• Appear unwashed and unclean.

• Exhibits severely abnormal eating habits.

• Begs or steals food.

• Shows extremes of behavior, i.e., is usually aggressive or destructive, extremely passive and withdrawn, cries excessively, or shows no response to pain or pleasure.

• Acts unusually adult or exactly the reverse.

• Seems unduly afraid of parents.

• Is often tired and without energy.

• Is consistently unpleasant and hard to get along with, or overly demanding and always a source of trouble.

• Is habitually absent from or late to school (often because the parent waits for physical evidence to abuse to disappear).

• Engages in frequent vandalism, sexual misconduct, or abuse of alcohol or drugs.

• Shows severely retarded physical or mental growth.