Summary of Common Problems in Eced Children

Physical abuse  is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, pain, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.

Physical abuse includes hitting, slapping, punching, choking, pushing, and other types of contact that result in physical injury to the victim.

Sexual abuse is any situation in which force is used to obtain participation in unwanted sexual activity. Forced sex, even by a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence.

Emotional abuse (also called psychological abuse or mental abuse) can include humiliating the victim privately or publicly, controlling what the victim can and cannot do, withholding information from the victim, deliberately doing something to make the victim feel diminished or embarrassed, isolating the victim from friends and family, implicitly blackmailing the victim by harming others when the victim expresses independence or happiness, or denying the victim access to money or other basic resources and necessities

Emotional/verbal abuse is defined as any behavior that threatens, intimidates, undermines the victim’s self-worth or self-esteem, or controls the victim’s freedom.

Verbal abuse is a form of abusive behavior involving the use of language. It is a form of profanity that can occur with or without the use of expletives.

Social Anxiety Disorder. The features of social anxiety disorder include an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. If forced into a feared situation, the child may become upset and exhibit a temper tantrum. Children with this disorder may be extremely shy around strangers or groups of people and may express their anxiety by crying or be overly clingy with caregivers. The child may not want to go to school and may avoid interactions with peers.

Separation Anxiety Disorder. Separation anxiety is thought to be a normal part of infant development. It begins when the child is about 8 old and declines after about 15 months of age. During this period the child understands the separation between self and primary caretaker. The child understands that he or she can be separated from the caretaker, but does not comprehend that the caretaker will return, which leads to anxiety. Separation anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is not a normal developmental phase. It is characterized by age-inappropriate fear of being away from home, parents or other family members. A child with separation anxiety disorder may be excessively clingy to family members, may fear going to school, or being alone. He or she may experience frequent physical complaints (i.e., headaches, stomach upset).