THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIESDr. Jenny MandersInstitute on Human Development and Disability College of Family and Consumer Sciences The University of Georgia |
DYNAMICS OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIESWhy are children with disabilities at increased risk?Children with disabilities are at increased risk for many reasons. Dr. Richard Sobsey (1994) organizes these multiple risk factors into categories associated with characteristics of the child, the perpetrator, the environment, and the culture. Characteristics of Children with DisabilitiesA number of risk factors are a direct result of disability. For example, some children with disabilities may simply be unable to physically escape from the abuse, and others with disabilities related to communication may be unable to report that abuse has occurred. Some children may have been taught learned helplessness ("Nothing I do can stop this.") or learned compliance ("If I comply the pain will stop.") through aversive procedures developed specifically to address the disability. Many have undeveloped senses of personal space due to intrusive educational, behavioral, or medical interventions that teach children their bodies are not their own. For example, the use of "physical prompting," when used appropriately, assists the learner by physically guiding the child's hand or body response. When used excessively or incorrectly, however, this procedure can teach a child to comply with physical coercion. |
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