Re: RATES OF DEVEL DELAY MALTX CHILDREN

[dick sobsey <dick.sobsey@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sharon:

I don't know if I can be much help regarding studies on developmental delay and maltreatment. But I do have a couple of thoughts. I'd be very interested in hearing more about your study. If it is not too late, it would be very interesting to know how many of teh children you studied have clearly defined gene-based disabilities (e.g., Down syndrome) the reason this would eb helpful is that if genetically based syndromes are over-represented in the sample, the high rates of developmental dealy are more likely to be due to increased victimization of children with disabilities and delays. If these conditions are not overrepresented the high number is more likely due to the effects of maltreatment on children.


1. Sullivan and Knutson's report on their grant on Maltreatment of children with disabilities for Has some interesting information even though it may be hard to interpret and it is not the primary thrust of the study. After removing children with diagnosed disabilities, children with a confirmed history of abuse or neglect were approximately one standard deviation below typical children on verbal and nonverbal achievement. It is a huge difference over a very big group. The difficulty is determining whether it actually represents learing deficits due to maltreatment or whether poor academic performance increased risk for abuse, or some otehr erlationship.

2. The same issue haunts all of this research. Are we measuring teh effects of abuse or are we measuring risk factors for abuse or are we meausring the effcts of something (like substance abuse problems or spousal abuse) that increase the risk for both developmental delay and child abuse.

There have been lots of studies that find an association between various developmentalproblems and maltreatment going back to the 1960s but exactly what to make of them is a challenge. Here are few of them.

Elmer, E., & Gregg, G. S. (1967). Developmental characteristics of abused children. 40(4, Part I.), 596-602.
Erickson, M. F., Egeland, B., & Pianta, R. (1989). The effects of maltreatment on the development of young children. In D. Cicchetti & V. Carlson (Eds.), Child Maltreatment: Theory and Research on the Causes and Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect (pp. 647-684). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hughes, H. M., & Brezzo, R. D. (1987). Physical and emotional abuse and motor development: A preliminary investigation. 64, 469-470.
Martin, J. A., & Elmer, E. (1992). Battered children grown up: A follow-up study of individuals severely maltreated as children. 16, 75-87.
McLaren, J., & Brown, R. E. (1989). *Childhood problems associated with abuse and neglect. Canada's Mental Health, 37(3), N/A.

Dick Sobsey, Director
JP Das Developmental Disabilities Centre
University of Alberta
6-123 Education North
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G5 Canada
phone: (780) 492-3755
fax: (780) 492-1318
dick.sobsey@ualberta.ca