Disabling Conditions and Registration for Child Abuse and Neglect: A Population-Based Study

Abstract

Children with disabling conditions seem to be at increased risk of registration for child abuse and neglect, although the pattern of registration varies with the specific disabling condition. The strong association with registration noted for conditions such as conduct disorder and learning difficulties is likely to arise, in part, because these conditions share a common etiologic pathway with child abuse and neglect.

Health Equity and Children's Rights

“…57,58 The factors that lead to marginalization, social exclusion, and poverty are often coassociated. 25 For example, disability and racial and ethnic minority status are associated with poverty [6][7][8][9][10] ; disabled children are at higher risk of abuse 59 ; and family stress that arises from poverty and poor health is associated with family breakdown, violence, and homelessness. 32,47,48,51,52 In the United States, the effects of racism beyond its association with poverty cannot be ignored.…”

Devoted protection: How parents of children with severe learning disabilities manage risks

“…Large-scale studies of abuse focussing on children with severe learning disabilities have not been undertaken. The best evidence derives from studies of children with any disability carried out in the USA (Crosse, Kaye, and Ratnofsky 1993;Sullivan and Knutson 2000) and the UK (Spencer et al 2005). These studies have found incidences of abuse two to four times higher among children with disabilities than among non-disabled children.…”

“…Suggested strategies for reducing the vulnerability of disabled children to abuse, such as safety awareness training and improved sex education (Briggs 1995), are unlikely to benefit children with severe learning disabilities. Evidence of their vulnerability comes from the finding that, with socioeconomic status and health indicators such as birth weight controlled for, children with moderate/severe learning disabilities were significantly more likely than others to be registered with a child protection agency (Spencer et al 2005). However, a UK-wide survey (Cooke and Standen 2002) found that only 14% of local authorities could state how many abused children on their child protection register were disabled.…”

Maltreatment of Children With Disabilities

“…In 1 recent study, caregivers reported that 18.5% of children with autism had been physically abused and 16.6% had been sexually abused. 14 Spencer et al 15 concluded that children with disabling conditions are at increased risk of child abuse and neglect, although the type of maltreatment varies with the specific disabling condition.…”