How to Spot Signs of an Abused Child
- 1). Look for bruises, welts, burns or cuts when searching for signs of physical abuse. Oftentimes they cannot be explained. Some injuries might have recognizable patterns from a belt or hand.
- 2). Search for abnormal behavior. The child might act fearful, shy away from contact, and appear to be scared to go home. The clothing he is wearing might not be appropriate for the weather, such as a sweatshirt in the summer.
- 3). When looking for signs of emotional abuse, watch to see if the child is excessively shy, scared, or fearful of doing something wrong. Look for age-inappropriate behavior, such as an older child acting as if she is a younger child. Low self-esteem can be another symptom of emotional abuse, as can uncontrolled aggression.
- 4). Seeing soiled diapers, unclean hair, dirty clothes, and body odor can be a sign of neglect. Weight loss and dull skin and/or hair can be a sign of an insufficient diet. Disruptive and troublesome behaviors or withdrawn and passive behaviors might be exhibited.
- 5). Warning signs are prominent when spotting signs of sexual abuse: sexual knowledge, through the child's language and behavior; copying adult sexual behavior; displaying sexual acts such as inappropriate touching, mouth kissing, and attempting to stick their tongue in someone else's mouth. The child might even act in a seductive manner. Physical signs include: trouble sitting or standing; having stained, bloody or even torn undergarments; and soreness, swelling, redness, and irritation around the child's genitals.
- 6). Evaluate the parents or caregiver. They might display signs of anger-management or control issues. They might give untrue explanations of the injuries, and the explanations may be different than the ones the child gives. Belittling the child, shaming him or being extremely critical of the child could be signs of abuse. Unusual protectiveness of the child and limited contact with other children and adults could be signs as well. Lastly, the parents might have problems with drugs and alcohol.
