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When Something Happens

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Children with Special Needs

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Social Work ((BRIEFSSOWO))

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Abstract

It occurs that children with disabilities, especially children with cognitive disabilities, are subjected to mistreatment and abuse such as physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or neglect. It is usually family members or other surrounding persons who are part of the care team around the child who are responsible for this abuse and neglect. The reason for this neglect may be that children with disabilities often require extensive care “around the clock, all year round.” This, of course, is perceived as “restrictive,” consuming, and laborious and results in a very stressful situation for the parents. Children with disabilities often have different types and extents of behavioral problems, which, for example, may manifest in an aggressive behavior. This combination of problems in children with disabilities can in some cases cause the parents to lose their temper temporarily and inflict abuse of various kinds on their child. Children with disabilities often have difficulties communicating what they have been through or what they want to their environment. These problems may contribute to neglect and/or abuse being able to go undetected for long periods.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, Malmö, Sweden

    Ulrika Hallberg & Gunilla Klingberg

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  1. Ulrika Hallberg
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  2. Gunilla Klingberg
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Hallberg, U., Klingberg, G. (2023). When Something Happens. In: Children with Special Needs . SpringerBriefs in Social Work. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28513-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28513-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-28512-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-28513-4

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