Maltreatment In The Lost Boy

Child maltreatment is any intentional or accidental behaviors by parents or caretakers that cause harm to a child. There are many different types of maltreatment including neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. “A Child called it” and “The Lost Boy” are two heart-wrenching books that explore the different forms of child maltreatment experienced during the childhood of the author, Dave Pelzer. Through the eyes of Dave, we explore the traumatic physical and mental abuse that he endured from his alcoholic mother. In “The Lost Boy”, we learn what life was like for Dave after he was removed from his mother’s home and became a ward of the state. Both of these books show Dave’s strength and willingness always to help others in …show more content…
It was easy to determine this with talking about what Dave’s mother did to him. When the school nurse examined Dave, his face was covered in slash marks, teeth were chipped due to being thrown into the tile kitchen countertop and an awful one of all, the scar on his stomach from being stabbed. Her so-called “punishments” were heinous and clearly he was being physically abused. Another extreme example of her punishments was stripping him down and making him lay across the stovetop as she turned on the burners. We also discussed what the teacher, counselor or school nurse should do if they suspect that a child is being abused which alert the authorities immediately so they can take the proper measurements to ensure the child’s …show more content…
With that being said, as a class, we went training called, STEWARDS of CHILDREN. This is a program for students and teachers that teach both students and teachers prevention, recognition and reaction to child sexual abuse. Though this training specialized in sexual abuse, it can still be used to identify other types of abuse. There was a five-step process to this training and the first step was to know what it is and facts about child abuse. Which in the case of physical abuse, a fact would be that about five children die every day due to child abuse. The second step was to minimize opportunity. I believe in a child abuse situation it would be a little different, but the witness could let the parent or caregiver know that they are paying attention and, if necessary, call the police and let them handle it. The third step was to talk about it with the child. One could gain the trust of the child, let them know its ok to tell you what is going on and have an appropriate conversation about boundaries and what is considered punishment and anything that causes them any type of harm is not a punishment but abuse. Fourth, recognize the signs. Signs of abuse include the child acting withdrawn, fearful, or eager about doing something incorrectly. Also includes bruises, untreated illnesses, tattered clothing, and flinches when being touched. The fifth and final step was to