Role of Early Childhood Educator in prevention of Child Abuse - Essay Example

1). Evidently, as the family is unreliable, educators in diverse settings serve as reinforced resources for children to rely on in preventing further abuse. Types and Signs of Abuse Abuse can take a number of form, and not just on physical side, but can be on emotional aspects, neglect, and sexual violations in children. Having close interaction with young children, educators in schools and caregiver institutions should be aware on observable illicit signs of abuse. Physical abuse is not hard to identify, as cruel manhandling may range from burned skin, bruised, and lacerated body parts.

Wounds from physical abuse are different from accidental injuries, as the former can occur on soft tissue, like “cheeks, buttocks, and thigh” while the latter are frequently seen on body areas such as “knees, elbows, forearms, or brow.” Typically, the material used as physical punishment can be observed on injured areas. Yet, other types of abuse are difficult to detect. Neglect is the absence of considerable efforts in meeting the children’s biological and emotional needs. There is chronic inattention to well being of children, where parents leave them to inadequately fend for themselves.

In emotional abuse, parents resort to verbal attacks and rejection through lack of parental concern and interest--resulting to “developmental lags, psychosomatic symptoms . (communication) disorders” (Crosson-Tower, 2003, p. 15, 19). Lastly, there is unacceptable sexual overture in sexual abuse. Extreme behavioral reactions vary; others withdraw from contact with others, while some become sexually aggressive--expressing the type of sexual abuse experienced through drawing or play-acting. Collectively, these are fundamental signs that confirm the type of abuse faced by children.

Long Term Consequences Child abuse is a condition that can be carried towards adult life. Subconsciously, the type of abuse received influences the way abused children live. On the physical side, health consequences can irreversibly affect them. As affirmed by DiScala, Serge, Li, and Reece (2000), severe physical head injuries resulted to significant reduction in neurological-dependent activities. Several victims, then, suffered physical disabilities that interrupt physiological capacities in living.

Psychologically, such events may lead to several psychiatric (personality and eating) disorders, depressive status, “posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse” (MacMillan et al., 2001, p. 1878). The effects of abuse are more of maladaptive defense copings, where children’s life-esteem is extremely low and academic performance is negatively affected (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). As these are treated as abnormal conditions, society shuns them from social activities while insisting that they submit to treatment for such conditions.

The society, as large, takes care of such events by funding welfare programs that assist abused children lead normal lives. Citizens in society indirectly fund the negative impact of child abuse, as taxpayers’ funds are drawn to pay community expenditures for juvenile and adult detention cells, and victims of psychiatric conditions. By large, the cost of supporting such expenses can be traced back to the behavioral impact of experiencing the categories of