Abstract
Purpose: Maltreatment of children is a common and international problem. The consequences of maltreatment often are misunderstood or unknown. In this article, I will define maltreatment and explore the communication development of children with a history of maltreatment.
I reviewed the literature on children experiencing maltreatment, including articles describing the communication development of children remaining in a maltreating environment, children who were recently removed from maltreatment, children in foster care, and children adopted from orphanages. In each study, I found evidence that children who experienced maltreatment demonstrated lower language performance or poorer social knowledge than children who had not experienced maltreatment.
Conclusion: Children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect are at risk of poorer receptive, expressive, and social language development. I will discuss the clinical implications of this finding.
Providing Interdisciplinary Services to At-Risk Families to Prevent the Placement of Children In Foster Care
