Child Abuse: Growth Failure, IQ Deficit, and Learning Disability

Abstract

Behavior that has been criminalized makes criminals not only of those who practice it but also of professionals who fail to report their knowledge of it. Professionals have invented the bastard science of victimology in which, by focusing on the victims and handing the offenders over to the law, they miss the scientific opportunity to discover the cause and prevention of the offense. Evidence of child abuse and neglect as a primary cause of permanent IQ impairment and learning disability, though long known, has been largely disregarded in favor of hereditary and quasineurological theories of etiology. There is a syndrome, namely abuse dwarfism (also known as psychosocial dwarfism), in which growth in stature and pubertal physique, growth in intelligence, and growth and maturation of behavior all are retarded and even permanently impaired in response to child abuse and neglect. Early rescue into a nonabusive environment permits catch-up growth, whereas delayed rescue hinders it, with consequent persistent IQ impairment and learning disability.

Association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with obesity and underweight in children

“…The association of ACEs and body weight abnormalities could be explained by the development of a thrifty phenotype under the influence of adverse life events [ 41 ].The thrifty phenotype leads to changes in the child's metabolism [ 42 ], which are related with reduced energy expenditure [ 43 ], but also with greater susceptibility to the consumption of large amounts of food [ 44 ]. Overeating can be fostered by hormonal changes under the influence of stressors [ 45 ], among others.…”

Social Worker Manpower, Community Economic Disadvantage, and Family Violence: Initial Evidence from Taiwan

“…Family violence is considered a significant public health problem (Burke, O'Campo & Peak, ; Di Bartolo, ). Family violence victims are more likely to be currently in poor health, to have depressive symptoms, to be involved in substance abuse, and to develop chronic diseases and chronic mental illnesses (Coker et al., ; Cunradi, Caetano, Clark & Schafer, ; Koenig, Ahmed, Hossain & Mozumder, ; Money, ; World Health Organization, 2002). These outcomes devastate both the individual victims and society in general because family violence exhausts the resources of employers and of public and voluntary services (O'Campo et al., ).…”

Abuse and neglect of adults with mental retardation in different residential settings

“…The majority of the literature on abuse of people with disabilities has focused on children (Diamond & Jaudes, 1983;Frisch & Rhoads, 1982;Green, Voeller, Gaines & Kubie, 1981;Money, 1982;Murphy, 1982;Nesbit, & Karagiania, 1982;Rose & Hardman, 198 1 ;Soeffing, 1975;Sandgrund, Gaines, & Green, 1974;Solomons, 1979;Starr, Dietrich, Fischhoff, Ceresnie, & Zwier, 1984;Valentine, 1990;Zirpoli, 1986;Zirpoli, 1990). These studies indicated that mental retardation may be a cause and an effect of child abuse.…”