Introduction

Welcome to Supporting Abused & Neglected Children in Schools, an interactive computer-based instruction (CBI) course, designed to help you identify and effectively teach students affected by child abuse and/or neglect. This course teaches you to recognize the signs of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect in students. It also discusses the specific factors that exist in families who abuse or neglect their children. A major emphasis in this course is on helping the participant understand the special learning needs of the abused or neglected child, and how to meet those needs in the regular classroom. Working with parents and community agencies is also emphasized.

This course meets the child abuse and neglect educational requirement in most states. It is the responsibility of the student to verify the course content with your specific state professional licensing agency to ensure proper credit.

This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Information on installation and technical support can be found, and will be covered in detail, in the User Guide section of your computer software.

Course Materials

Title: Supporting Abused & Neglected Children in Schools

Author: Joan S. Halverstadt, MS/ED

Instructor: Joan S. Halverstadt MS/ED

Please keep the CD. There is a $25 replacement fee for CD-roms if you need to replace yours due to theft, damage, misplacement, etc. Call 1-800-313-6744, with your credit card information, if you need a replacement.

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Academic Integrity Statement

The structure and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a CBI distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following standards of academic conduct.

Academic Work

Academic work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.

Aiding Honesty in Others

The individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.

Violations of these academic standards may result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit for the course.

Level of Application

This course is designed to be an informational course with application to educational settings. The intervention strategies are designed to be used for the remediation of abused or neglected students ranging in age from approximately three years to adolescence. Some alterations may be needed if working with specific populations such as gifted, ESL or special education.

Course Objectives

Students will be able to:

· Understand the educator’s role in protecting and supporting abused or neglected students

· Recognize the symptoms of child abuse and neglect

· Know their state and school district’s child abuse reporting procedures

· Understand the causes of abuse and neglect in families and society

· Understand the special learning needs these students bring to the classroom

· Gain techniques for supporting students and families affected by abuse or neglect

· Learn intervention techniques applicable to the classroom setting

· Gain a wider knowledge of available outside resources and support systems

· Understand the educator’s role in the intervention and prevention of child abuse and neglect

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Course Description

This course is designed to help classroom teachers, school counselors and other educational personnel gain strategies to reach and teach students who have been affected by child abuse or neglect. Participants will learn the signs and symptoms for the three types of abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual) and the four types of neglect (physical, medical, emotional, and educational). Participants will explore how abuse and neglect affect a student’s learning, cognitive brain development and social-emotional development. The short- and long-term consequences of neglect as well as the social and family causes will be reviewed. The educator’s role in the intervention and prevention of child abuse and neglect will be discussed.

The course is divided into four chapters. Each chapter discusses a particular topic of abuse or neglect. The chapters are sequential and should be completed in the order they are presented. At the completion of each chapter, there will be an examination covering the material. Students must complete the examination before proceeding to the next chapter. In some of the examinations, questions will involve case studies to provide further practice in the application of knowledge. This course is appropriate for educators seeking training in working with children aged three-eighteen years as well as those who work directly with families.

Although this course is a comprehensive presentation of the educational issues surrounding abuse and neglect, there is certainly a wealth of research and topics that are not covered in the scope of this course. The instructor highly recommends that you augment your readings from this course with further research to gain a fuller understanding of the complexities of this subject. However, the material presented in this course will give you a broader understanding of the topic of child abuse and neglect. It will also give you information to apply directly to your work with students in the classroom and community.

Student Expectations

As a student you will be expected to:

· Complete all information chapters covering child abuse, showing a competent understanding of the material presented.

· Complete all examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented.

· Complete a review of any chapter on which your examination score was below 70%.

· Complete all course journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing assignment.

· Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.

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Chapter Topics

Chapter One: Introduction and Family Factors Involved in the Incidence of Child Abuse and Neglect. This chapter will introduce the participant to the course topic by a discussion of the working definitions and the statistical magnitude of the problem of child abuse and neglect. A short history of how child maltreatment has evolved is included as well as a discussion of the educator’s role in the reporting, treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect in society. This chapter will also discuss the family factors involved in the incidence of child abuse and neglect, including personal factors and environmental/societal factors.

Chapter Two: Recognizing and Responding to Physical and Emotional Child Abuse and Sexual Abuse. This chapter will present the physical and behavioral signs and symptoms of physical and emotional child abuse. It will discuss the types of emotional abuse, and define and present the physical and behavioral symptoms of sexual abuse. It will also discuss the stages of normal sexual development as well as how to handle disclosures of sexual abuse.

Chapter Three: Recognizing and Responding To Child Neglect and The Long Term Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect on Physical and Cognitive Development. This chapter will discuss the physical and behavioral symptoms of the four types of neglect (physical, medical, emotional, and educational). The role patterns children of neglect often exhibit and the causes of neglect, including poverty, are presented. It also presents a discussion of the long-term effects of abuse and neglect on physical and cognitive development. Participants will read a research review on the effects of neglect on brain development for specific age groups of children.

Chapter Four: The Long Term Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect on Social-Emotional Development and Strategies For Teaching Abused and Neglected Students. In this chapter the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on a child’s social, emotional and personality development will be discussed. Participants will read a research article on the effects of maltreatment on bonding and attachment. The social and emotional traits of specific age groups of maltreated children will be discussed, as well as the effects of foster placement on the child and family. Also included in the final chapter, the information learned in the previous three chapters is applied specifically to methods for reaching and teaching students who have been abused or neglected. Barriers schools create for families are discussed as well as interventions for meeting the student’s physical, cognitive and social-emotional needs at school. The course ends with a discussion of the educator’s role in the intervention, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect.

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Examinations -- THE EXAMINATIONS FOR THIS COURSE CAN ONLY BE TAKEN ONE TIME.

At the end of each course chapter, you will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. Your final grade for this course will be determined by calculating an average score of all exams. This score will be printed on your final certificate. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.

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Writing Assignments

This course has two required writing components.

To save your essays:

Macintosh: When you select the question or article you wish to write on, simple text or text edit will automatically be launched. When you are finished, simply click on FILE>SAVE. Do not select SAVE AS. You do not need to give the document a name before saving. When you are done, select FILE>QUIT. You must quit before you write another essay.

Windows: When you select the question or article, Notepad will automatically launch. When you are finished, click on FILE>SAVE. Do not select SAVE AS. You do not need to give the document a name before saving.

1) Essay Requirement: Critical Thinking Questions

There is a critical thinking question for each chapter or section. You will do research on the question and write a brief essay relating it to the course content (and your personal experiences when possible). To view the questions, click on ESSAY REQ, and then on CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS. You will see the questions, one for each chapter or section. Click on the question you would like to work on; this will bring up a screen where you can enter your essay. You must write a minimum of 500 words per essay.

2) Essay Requirement: Journal Articles

This task requires you to write a review of three journal articles of your choice on a topic related to this course. You may choose your topic by entering the Key Words (click on the Key Words button) into a search engine of your choice (Google, Dogpile, Yahoo, etc.). Choose three relevant articles and write a 200-word review of each. You may also access the ERIC system and choose a related topic from a journal listed in that system. Or you can access www.scholar.google.com or www.findarticles.com .Write a critical summary of the information given in each article, explaining how the information relates to, supports, or refutes information given in this course. Conclude your paper with your thoughts and impressions. (200 words per journal article minimum.) Be sure to provide the journal name, volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the instructor to access and review that article.

To write your essays, click on ESSAY REQ. In the dialog box below that, click on JOURNAL ARTICLE ASSIGNMENT; this will expand the folder which contains links to the screens where you can write your reviews. When you are ready to stop, click on FILE>SAVE. You may go back at any point to edit your essays. For more information on the features of this assignment, please consult the HELP menu.

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Instructor Description

Joan Halverstadt has been a school counselor since 1994 working with at-risk preschool and elementary aged students. Ms. Halverstadt has over thirty years of experience working in early childhood education with children and families, including working with children affected by family issues, abuse or trauma. She also teaches graduate education counseling and special education courses for teachers and counselors. She received her School Counseling Educational Staff Associate Degree from City University, her Masters in Education Degree from George Mason University, and her BA in Psychology and Elementary Education from Whitman College.

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Contacting the Instructor

You may contact the instructor by emailing Joan at joanh@virtualeduc.com or calling her at (509) 891-7219 Monday through Friday. Phone messages left during business hours will be answered within 48 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches or other issues that involve the operation of the course.

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Technical Questions

If you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course CD, please try everything twice. If the problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section on your course disk.

If you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com or call (509) 891-7219. When contacting technical support, please know your course version number, it is printed on the CD label, your operating system and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.

Minimum Requirements

Macintosh Operating Systems

Mac OS 9.x or OS 10.x, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free hard disk space, 15" or larger color monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, CD driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected to your computer.

Windows Operating Systems

Windows 2000, XP Home, Professional or newer, 256MB of RAM and 5MB of free hard disk space; 15" or larger color monitor with a minimum resolution of 800x600, CD driver 4x minimum speed and a printer connected to your computer.

Please contact VESi if you have any questions about the compatibility of these systems.

Refer to the addendum included with your software package regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted, and where to send your completed information.

Bibliography

Center for Child Abuse Prevention Services. Characteristics of abusive families. (handout)

949 Market St. #411, Tacoma, WA 98402.

Dominguez, Renee S., Nelke, Connie F., & Perry, Bruce. Sexual abuse of children. Encyclopedia of crime & punishment. Great Barrington, MA. Berkshire Publishing Group.

Halverstadt, Joan. (2000). Strategies for teaching abused or traumatized students. Seattle Pacific University course.

Jensen, Tine K., Gulbransen, Wenke, Mossige, Svein, Reichelt, Sissel, & Tjersland, Odd Arne. (2005, Dec.). Reporting possible sexual abuse: A qualitative study on children’s perspectives and the context for disclosure. Child Abuse and Neglect, 29(12), 1395-1413.

Mann, David, Palker-Corell, Ann, Ludy-Dobson, Christine, and Perry, Bruce. (2002). The physical abuse of children. Encyclopedia of crime & punishment. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing Group.

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (2001). In focus: The risk and prevention of maltreatment of children with disabilities. www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/prevenres/focus

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (2001). In focus: Understanding the effects of maltreatment on early brain development. www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/focus/earlybrain/earlybraina.cfm

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (2006). National child abuse and neglect data system, summary of key findings from calendar year 2004.

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/canstats.cfm

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. (2005). The long term consequences of child abuse and neglect. http://childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (2003) The User Manual Series: A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: the Foundation of Practice. Wash. D.C. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanual.cfm

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. (2003). The role of educators in preventing and responding to child abuse and neglect. http://childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/educator/educatora.cfm

National Exchange Club Foundation. (2006). About child abuse: Frequently asked questions. www.preventchildabuse.com/abuse.htm

National Exchange Club Foundation. (2006). Emotional abuse. www.preventchildabuse.com/emotion.htm

National Exchange Club Foundation. (2006). Physical abuse. www.preventchildabuse.com/physical.htm

National Exchange Club Foundation. (2006). Sexual abuse. www.preventchildabuse.com/sexual.htm

Perry, B.D. (2006). Bonding and attachment in maltreated children: Consequences of neglect in childhood. Child Trauma Academy: Parent and caregiver education series vol. 1, number 4. www.childtrauma.org

Perry, B.D. (2000). The neuroarcheology of childhood maltreatment. The neurodevelopmental costs of adverse childhood events. Child Trauma Academy. www.childtrauma.org/ctamaterials/Neuroarcheology.asp

Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Office of Quality Assurance and Training. (2006). Child protective team handbook. Olympia,WA.

Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Children, Youth, & Family Services. (2006). Educator’s guide to child protective services. Olympia, WA.