Lewis Aptekar: Identifying Signs of Child Abuse
As former professor Lewis Aptekar knows, child abuse can sometimes be difficult to identify – particularly for those who are unsure about or untrained in what to look for when abuse or neglect are suspected. And for those who suspect that negligence or abuse is going on, it’s important to understand that abuse can manifest itself in a myriad of ways – sometimes presenting itself in signs many would overlook fail to see.
Occurring in several possible forms (physical, emotional and sexual), child abuse can often lead to: • Trust and relationship issues, that which may result in the inability to establish or maintain friendships for any extended period of time. • A lack of confidence that can lead to considerable withdrawal or reticence from social interaction and activity.
• Acting out, such as through yelling, screaming, tantrums, fighting and abuse of other children. • Unpredictability in terms of mood swings and behavior; wild, unpredictable swings in attitude and temperament.