The Effects of Child Abuse on a Child´s Education

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Child abuse has become a chronic and common issue in the country today. In the United States of America, an estimated three million children are victims of abuse every year. Whether the abuse is physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, the scars can be deep and can have a negative effect on a child’s education. According to academic research preformed at Brown University in April 1996, it was noted that abused children have a harder time maintaining good grades in school due to their stressful home lives, which leads to a lack of focus in the classroom. These issues are severely hurting the education of many children which damages their conscious development. Unstable households are the number one cause of children not performing at the level of proficiency in the classroom. (Family Mobility Helps) There are four different types of abuse, but the effects are similar, which is physical, or emotional harm placed upon the child. There are certain types of abuse that are often harder to identify. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse. Family members and caregivers are the abusers in most cases. Research has shown there are three major reasons why abuses children suffer academically. The reasons are withdrawal, poor communication/social skills, and behavioral problems. Child abuse does not only hurt a child’s education, but can lead to deaths. Therefore prevention is the key to the success of a child’s future. (Rynders) Failure to provide a child with basic necessary needs is known as neglect. Neglect has become the most common form of child abuse, and its effects have been recognized as the most detrimental to a child’s development. According to Zorika Petic Henderson’s article “Maltreated Children Fail in School”, Childr... ... middle of paper ... ...hol. With the chronic issue of child abuse still affecting children’s education today. It is a key importance that people must not give up on children who are victims of child abuse, but make it their personal goal to help them prosper. School is not just a place where children go in the morning, but a social learning environment that provides students with a lifelong tool of knowledge. As children grow older and into different developmental stages the demand for love, support, leadership, and positive role models are crucial. Abused children are missing these essential needs; this is why the famous saying “It takes a community to raise a child” still holds true today. The education of abuse children is not a lost cause and with proper treatment and teaching they will grow up to be just as successful if not more successful than any other non- maltreated child.

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