Child Abuse:

Working with Abused & Neglected Children

 

Instructor Name:

Dr. Pamela Bernards, Ed.D.

Facilitator:

Joan S. Halverstadt, MS/ED

Phone:

509-891-7219

Office Hours:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday

Email:

joanh@virtualeduc.com

Address:

Virtual Education Software

 

23403 E Mission Avenue, Suite 220F

 

Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Technical Support:

support@virtualeduc.com

 

 

Introduction

Welcome to Child Abuse: Working with Abused & Neglected Children, an interactive computer-based instruction course, designed to help you identify and effectively teach students affected by child abuse and/or neglect. This course discusses the identification of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; the impact of abuse on the behavior and learning abilities of students; the responsibilities of a teacher to report abuse or provide assistance to students who are the victims of abuse; and methods for teaching students about abuse of all types and its prevention. It also discusses the specific factors that exist in families who abuse or neglect their children. This recently updated course has additional sections on childhood depression and suicide, child trafficking, children with disabilities, disproportionality, and substance abuse to meet state and federal requirements. 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. Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.


 

 

Course Materials (Online)

Title:

Child Abuse: Working with Abused & Neglected Children

Publisher:

Virtual Education Software, inc. 2002, Revised 2010, Revised 2013, Revised 2016, Revised 2019, Revised 2022, Revised 2025

Instructor:

Dr. Pamela Bernards, Ed.D.

Facilitator:

Joan S. Halverstadt, MS/ED

 

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 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 will 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.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

As a result of this course, participants will demonstrate their ability to:

 

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). Additionally, participants will learn the symptoms of childhood depression, suicidal tendencies, child sexual trafficking, and substance abuse, along with how these issues are tied to child abuse and neglect. 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 abuse and neglect, as well as the cultural, 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. This course is appropriate for educators seeking training in working with children ages 3–18 years, as well as professionals 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 four information sections showing a competent understanding of the material presented in each section.

·         Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented. You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50% to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

·         Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.

·         Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

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

 

 

Chapter Topics

Chapter One: Introduction, History & Characteristics

This chapter introduces the participant to the course topic through 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 is a discussion of the educator’s role in the reporting, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect in society. This chapter also discusses the family factors involved in the incidence of child abuse and neglect, including personal factors, cultural influences, and environmental/societal factors. The link between domestic violence and child abuse is discussed. How adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect both children and parents is explored. The topic of disproportionality in racial representation in abuse statistics is reviewed.

Chapter Two: Indications & Types of Abuse

This chapter presents the physical and behavioral signs and symptoms of physical and emotional child abuse. It discusses the types of emotional abuse and will define and present the physical and behavioral symptoms of sexual abuse. It also discusses the stages of normal sexual development, in addition to how to handle disclosures of sexual abuse. It includes a discussion about why children with disabilities are abused and neglected at a higher rate than children without a disability.

Chapter Three: Neglect: Types, Causes & Interventions

This chapter discusses the physical and behavioral symptoms of the four types of neglect (physical, medical, emotional, and educational). It includes information about how to distinguish between the influences of poverty vs. actual neglect of a child. The role patterns children of neglect often exhibit and the causes of neglect, including poverty, are presented.

Chapter Four: The Effects of Abuse & Neglect

In this chapter, the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on a child’s social, emotional, and personality development will be discussed. Youth with a history of abuse or neglect are highly susceptible to developing problems in the areas of substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, depression, or becoming a victim of child trafficking. 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.

 

 

 

Examinations

At the end of each course chapter, you will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further access. The average from your exam scores will be printed on your 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.

 

 

Facilitator Description

Joan Halverstadt is a retired Special Services Director and School Psychologist/School Counselor. She has 15 years’ experience as a school counselor, working with at-risk preschool and elementary aged students. Ms. Halverstadt has 50 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 National Certification and School Psychology Educational Specialist degree from Seattle University, her School Counseling Educational Staff Associate Degree from City University, her Master’s in Education Degree from George Mason University, and her BA in Psychology and Elementary Education from Whitman College. Please contact Professor Halverstadt if you have course content or examination questions.

 

Instructor Description

Pamela Bernards has 30 years of combined experience in diverse PK–8 and high school settings as a teacher and an administrator. In addition to these responsibilities, she was the founding director of a K–8 after school care program and founder of a pre-school program for infants to 4-year-olds. When she was a principal, her school was named a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. More recently, the school in which she serves as curriculum coordinator was named a 2010 Blue Ribbon School. Areas of interest include curriculum, research-based teaching practices, staff development, assessment, data-driven instruction, and instructional intervention (remediation and gifted/talented). She received a doctorate in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University.

Please contact Professor Halverstadt if you have course content or examination questions.

 

Contacting the Facilitator

You may contact the facilitator by emailing Professor Halverstadt at joanh@virtualeduc.com or calling her at 509-891-7219, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST. Phone messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to 10 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.

 

Technical Questions

If you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course, 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 of your course.

 

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 located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.

 

Minimum Computer Requirements

Please refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your operating system.

 

Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted, and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.

 

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National Center for Children in Poverty. (2021). Basic facts about low-income children: Children under 18 years, 2020. https://www.nccp.org/publication/basic-facts-about-low-income-children-children-under-18-years-2019/

National Center for Victims of Crime. (n.d.). Grooming dynamic. https://victimsofcrime.org/grooming-dynamic/

National Center on Safe and Supportive Schools. (2020). Human trafficking in America’s schools. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/human-trafficking-americas-schools

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. (2021). Risk factors and indicators. https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/human-trafficking-americas-schools/indicatorsl

National Children’s Alliance. (2023). National statistics on child abuse. https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (n.d.a). Domestic violence statistics. https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (n.d.b). Learn more about abuse. https://www.thehotline.org/resources/learn-more-about-abuse/

National Domestic Violence Hotline. (n.d.c). What is emotional abuse?

National Indian Child Welfare Association. (2019). What is disproportionality in child welfare fact sheet. https://www.nicwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-AIAN-Disproportionality-in-Child-Welfare-FINAL.pdf

National Institutes of Health. (2019). Gender differences in suicidal behavior in adolescents and young adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. International Journal of Public Health, 64(2), 265–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1196-1

National Human Trafficking Hotline. (n.d.). Human trafficking hotline statistics. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics

National Human Trafficking Resource Center. (2022). Human trafficking in America’s schools. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/resources/human-trafficking-americas-schools

National Human Trafficking Resource Center. (2015). Human trafficking awareness for educators [Video]. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/resources/human-trafficking-awareness-educators

Newport Academy. (2022). New research on LGBTQ teen suicide rates. https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/lgbt-suicide-rates/

Ordway, D.-M. (2023, March 3). Corporal punishment in schools: Research and reporting tips. Education Writers Association. https://ewa.org/data-research-tips/corporal-punishment-in-schools-where-is-it-practiced

Park, D. (2024, January 26). The Earned Income tax credit: An underutilized tool to fight poverty. National League of Cities. https://www.nlc.org/article/2024/01/26/the-earned-income-tax-credit-an-underutilized-tool-to-fight-poverty/

Parolin, Z., & Curran, M. A. (2022). Sixth child tax credit payments kept 3.7 million children out of poverty in December. Poverty and Social Justice Brief, 6(1). https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/publication/monthly-poverty-december-2021

Partnership for Drug Free Kids. (2018). Brain development/behavior and preventing drug abuse. https://drugfree.org/article/brain-development-teen-behavior/

Pathways to Resilience. (2022, October 12). Dr. Bruce Perry: How the neurosequential model can be used to meet children where they are [Video file]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuTiys39twc&ab_channel=PathwaystoResilience

Payne, R. (2018). A framework for understanding poverty: A cognitive approach (6th ed.). aha! Process.

Perry, B. D. (2002). Childhood experience and the expression of genetic potential: What childhood neglect tells us about nature and nurture. Brain and Mind, 3, 79–100. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016557824657

Perry, B. D. (2009, December). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In D. Schetky & E. Benedek (Eds.), Textbook of child and adolescent forensic psychiatry (pp. 221–238). American Psychiatric Press.

Perry, B. D. (2016, December 13). The brain science behind student trauma. Education Week. http://childtrauma.org/cta-library/child-dev-early-childhood/

Peterson, C., Florence, C., & Klevens, J. (2018). The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States, 2015. National Library of Medicine/Child Abuse & Neglect, 86, 178–183. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6289633/

Polansky, N. A., Gaudin, J. M., Jr., Ammons, P. W., & Davis, K. B. The psychological ecology of the neglectful mother. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9(2), 265–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(85)90019-5

Polaris. (2022). The National Human Trafficking Hotline. https://polarisproject.org/national-human-trafficking-hotline/

Prevent Child Abuse America. (2024). The relationship between parental alcohol or other drug problems and child maltreatment. https://preventchildabuse.org/images/docs/therelationshipbetweenparentalalcoholandotherdrugproblemsandchildmaltreatment.pdf

Prevent Child Abuse America. (2021, June 14). Long term effects of child abuse and neglect. https://preventchildabuse.org/latest-activity/long-term-effects-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/

PTSD: National Center for PTSD. (2025). Understand PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_children_teens.asp

Puzzanchera, C., & Taylor, M. (2021). Disproportionality rates for children of color in foster care. National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. https://ncjfcj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/NCJFCJ-Disproportionality-TAB-2015_0.pdf

Resource Center on Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Co-occurrence of child abuse and domestic violence exposure. https://www.rcdvcpc.org/co-occurrence-of-child-abuse-and-domestic-violence-exposure.html

Rossiter, M. (2020). Emotional abuse, neglect may be more harmful long-term than physical, sexual abuse. University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. https://uihc.org/childrens/news/emotional-abuse-neglect-may-be-more-harmful-long-term-physical-sexual-abuse

Rothenberg, W. A., Ali, S., Rohner, R. P., Lansford, J. E., Britner, P. A., Di Giunta, L., Dodge, K. A., Malone, P. S., Oburu, P., Pastorelli, C., Skinner, A. T., Sorbring, E., Steinberg, L., Tapanya, S., Uribe Tirado, L. M., Yotanyamaneewong, S., Alampay, L. P., Al-Hassan, S. M., Bacchini, D., Bornstein, M. H., Chang, L., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2022). Effects of parental acceptance-rejection on children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior: A longitudinal, multicultural study. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 31(1), 29–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02072-5

Ryan, J., Jacob, B., Gross, M., Perron, B., Moore, A., & Ferguson, S. (2018). Early exposure to child maltreatment & academic outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 23(4), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518786815

Rymanowicz, K. (2021). Keeping kids safe: Characteristics of child sexual offenders. Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/keeping-kids-safe-characteristics-of-child-sexual-offenders

Sacks, V., & Murphy, D. (2018). The prevalence of childhood experiences, nationally, by state, and by race and ethnicity. Child Trends. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/prevalence-adverse-childhood-experiences-nationally-state-race-ethnicity

Schmerling, R. H. (2022, March 24). Can vaping damage your lungs? What we do (and don’t) know. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-vaping-damage-your-lungs-what-we-do-and-dont-know-2019090417734

Sedlak, A.J., Mettenburg, J., Basena, M., Petta, I., McPherson, K., Greene, A., and Li, S. (2010). Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4): Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/nis4_report_congress_full_pdf_jan2010.pdf

Sharedhope International. (2022). Report trafficking. https://sharedhope.org/takeaction/report-trafficking/?creative=536979668291&keyword=report%20trafficking&matchtype=b&network=g&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAr5iQBhCsARIsAPcwRONPv3lzdAEzMDgIK_MMUKjF83pg7mLWgyZev5eIcRMvXWrJLq3tk9gaAqtkEALw_wcB

Smith, A., & Garza, E. (2021, December 21). 4 different parenting styles and how they can trigger anxiety. Brillia. https://discoverbrillia.com/blogs/articles/four-different-parenting-styles-and-anxiety

SPCC [American Society for the Positive Care of Children]. (2022). What is child maltreatment? https://americanspcc.org/what-is-child-abuse/

Strathearn, L., Giannotti, M., Mills, R., Kisely, S., Najman, J., & Abajobir, A. (2020). Long-term cognitive, psychological, and health outcomes associated with child abuse and neglect. Pediatrics, 146(4), 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0438

Stiles, M. M. (2002). Witnessing domestic violence: The effect on children. American Family Physician, 66(11), 2052–2067. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2002/1201/p2052.html

Stone, S., & Zibulsky, J. (2015). Maltreatment, academic difficulty, and systems-involved youth: Current evidence and opportunities. Psychology in the Schools, 52(1), 22–29. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21812

Sun, J., Patel, F., Rose-Jacobs, R. Frank, D.A., Black, M. M, & Chilton, M. (2017). Mothers’ adverse childhood experiences and their young children’s development. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 53(6), 882–891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.07.015

Supin, J. (2016). The long shadow: Bruce Perry on the lingering effects of childhood trauma [Interview]. The Sun, 2016, 4–13.

Swedo, E. A., Pampati, S., Anderson, K. N., Thorne, E., McKinnon, I. I., Brener, N. D., Stinson, J., Mpofu, J. J., & P. H. Niolon. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and health conditions and risk behaviors among high school students—Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Supplement, 2024(73), 39–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7304a5

Swarens, T. (2018, January 1). Who buys trafficked children for sex? USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/nation-now/2018/01/30/sex-trafficking-column/1073459001

Tankersly, A. (2022). What is social competence and what are its elements? https://www.continued.com/early-childhood-education/ask-the-experts/what-social-competence-and-its-23785

Thompson, M., & Marusak, H. (2017). Toward understanding the impact of trauma on the early developing human brain. Neuroscience, 342, 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.02.022

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Walker, L., & Bender, W. (2024). Trauma-informed practices for the classroom and beyond. Corwin.

Wall-Wieler, E., Roos, L., Boram-Lee, J., Urquia, M., Roos, N., Bruce, S., & Brownell, M. (2019, February). Placement in care in early childhood and school readiness. Child Maltreatment, 24(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518796658

Wang, S., Xu, H., Zhang, S., Yang, R., Li, D., Sun, Y., Wan, Y., & Tao, F. (2022, January). Linking childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms: The role of social support, coping styles, and self-esteem in adolescents. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(1/2), NP620–NP650. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520918571

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Wegner, A. (2022). Effects of childhood abuse extend into middle age for some. Discovery. https://magazine.hhd.psu.edu/2022/03/29/effects-of-childhood-abuse/

Weiner, D., Anderson, C., & Thomas, K. (2021). Addressing economic hardship key to preventing child welfare system involvement. Chaplin Hall. https://www.chapinhall.org/research/economic-supports-child-welfare/

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Yang, Y., Yang, Z., & Qu, W. (2022, January). Childhood maltreatment and prosocial behavior: Roles of social support and psychological support. Social Behavior & Personality, 50(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.10610

Yerby, N. (2024). Research study: Drug addiction is sending more children to foster care. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/addiction-children-foster-care/

Yoshioka‐Maeda, K., & Fujii, H. (2022). Mothers susceptible to child maltreatment and requiring public health nurses continuing support. Public Health Nursing, 39(1), 48–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13004

Yu, M., Huang, L., Mao, J., DNA, Gese, & Luo, S. (2022, January). Childhood maltreatment, automatic negative thoughts, and resilience: The protective role of culture and genes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(1/2), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520912582

Zhao, J., Xiang, Y., Zhang, W., Dong, X., Zhao, J., & Li, Q. (2021, December). Child maltreatment affects depression and anxiety: The mediating role of emotional intelligence. International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, 19(6), 2021–2030. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00297-x

 

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