The Neglected Child: How to Recognize, Respond, and Prevent

by Heather Johnson, Laura Wilhelm EdD, Ginger Welch PhD

Overview

The Neglected Child provides everything educators and caregivers need to know to identify and intervene in neglectful situations, while also creating a safe, nurturing, and protective environment for young children. From defining the different types and levels of severity of neglect to establishing suspicion and reporting neglectful situations, this book is filled with helpful information from expert psychologists and educators in the field today.

Each chapter includes a brief quiz to assess chapter learning and Notes from the Field that represent real-life stories the authors have encountered in their work. The appendices at the end of the text include reproducible handouts, sample statements for parent handbooks, self-assessments for teachers, and important contact information to use when reporting neglect.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780876594797
Publisher:	Gryphon House Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Heather Johnson, MEd, is a curriculum coordinator for a public school district serving nearly 15,000 children in the state of Oklahoma. She has an extensive background in early childhood education and has worked in both the private and public sectors. Heather is an active child advocate, participating in local, state, and national events to promote the importance of early childhood and the prevention of child abuse and maltreatment. In her spare time, Heather works as a grant writer working to better the lives of at-risk children and teen parents.
Laura Wilhelm, EdD, is an assistant professor of early childhood education in the department of curriculum and instruction at the University of Central Oklahoma. Over the past twenty years, she has worked in many different urban and suburban schools as both an early childhood educator and elementary school teacher.
Ginger Welch, Ph.D. is Clinical Associate Professor and Infant Mental Health Specialist at Oklahoma State University. She is a private practice psychologist specializing in evaluation and consultation services to infants and young children, including those who have been abused or neglected. She also serves children with chronic or serious health conditions including Sickle Cell Disease, cancer, and prematurity. She has presented her work on child maltreatment at many national conferences including the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the American Psychological Association, and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. She has also taught nationally and internationally on topics related to child development, child abuse, and counseling, and is the author of one tween fiction novel, "The Dream Reader." She lives in Oklahoma City and is the proud mom of one daughter, Addy Grace.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

How to Use This Book 10

What Is Neglect? 13

Types of Neglect 14

Risk Factors 19

Quiz Me! 22

Fatal Neglect 23

How Are Maltreatment Deaths Identified? 23

Risk Factors for Fatal Neglect 24

Types of Fatal Neglect 26

Quiz Me! 32

Establishing Suspicion 33

Red Flags 33

Assessing Levels of Neglect 36

The Role of Culture, Values, and Community Standards 39

Values and Child Neglect Self-Assessment 40

Handling Disclosure 42

Quiz Me! 43

Making the Report 45

Teacher Fears 46

What You Need 47

Whose Job Is It? 50

Quiz Me! 51

Beyond Reporting: Prevention and Intervention 53

Prevention and Intervention Strategies to Provide to Parents 53

Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Teachers 57

Prevention and Intervention Strategies in the Classroom 60

My Report Card for Neglect Prevention and Intervention 66

Quiz Me! 67

Advocating for Children 69

Conclusion 73

Resources 75

Appendix A Child Care Self-Assessment: Prevention Efforts 79

Appendix B Ask the Experts: Case Studies for Review and Discussion 81

Appendix C Sample Reporting Form: Making the Call 97

Appendix D Parent Pages 99

Early Development and the Brain 100

Child Abuse Prevention: Learning about Neglect 101

Motor Vehicle Safety 102

Fire Safety 103

Safe Sleeping 104

Toy Safety 105

Choosing a Caregiver 106

Dogs and Children 107

Accidental Poisoning 108

Water Safety 109

Talking with and Listening to Your Child 110

Playing It Safe at the Park 111

Appendix E Neglect Issues for the Center or School Handbook 113

Appendix F Child Abuse Hotlines 115

Appendix G Child Maltreatment Resources 119

Editorial Reviews

Child neglect is a form of child maltreatment. Child neglect is a deficit in meeting a child's basic needs. Furthermore, child neglect is the failure to provide basic physical health care, supervision, nutrition, emotional nurturing, education or safe housing. Child neglect is the most frequent form of abuse of children, with children that are born to young mothers at a substantial risk for neglect. In 2008, the U.S. state and local child protective services received 3.3 million reports of children being abused or neglected. Maltreated children/youth were about five times more likely to have a first emergency department presentation for suicide-related behavior compared to their peers, in both boys and girls. Children/youth permanently removed from their parental home because of substantiated child maltreatment are at an increased risk of a first presentation to the emergency department for suicide-related behavior. The collaborative work of Ginger Welch (a licensed pediatric psychologist and certified early childhood educator), Heather Johnson (Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, Oklahoma City University), and Laura Wilhelm (Oklahoma Public School District Curriculum Coordinator), "The Neglected Child: How to Recognize, Respond, and Prevent" is a 128 page compendium comprised of what every adult (and especially classroom teachers) need to know on creating a safe, nurturing, and protective environment for young children who are suffering or are recovering from parental neglect. Deftly organized, informed and informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation and text, "The Neglected Child: How to Recognize, Respond, and Prevent" is very strongly recommended for professional, school, community, and library troubled child instructional reference collections. - Midwest book Reviews

From the Publisher