Identifying Abuse - Take a Close Look at Injuries

The injuries that your child may have suffered at daycare can tell you a lot about how they may have come to endure them. The location of the injuries, the extent of the injuries and whether or not they’re repeat injuries all play into this. If you’re not sure whether or not an injury is the result of abuse, your doctor is always the best person to ask.
Here are some common signs that an injury may be the result of abuse:

Location of injury.

Children do commonly injure themselves in some areas. Parents end up putting a lot of bandages on their children's elbows and knees, for instance. Here are areas that tend to indicate that there may be abuse going on.

• Inner elbows, shoulders, upper arms, from being pushed and shoved
• Neck, from being shoved or choked
• Face, from beings struck
• Buttocks, privates, from striking or sexual abuse
• Scalp, from having hair pulled

Type of injury.

Injuries inflicted by adults will usually be bruises from striking the child. If there is a lax atmosphere with supervising children at the daycare, your child may suffer injuries from being bullied or getting into fights with other children. Look for:

• Scratches
• Black eyes
• Punctured lips and tongues from being hit and biting
• Bite marks on the body
• Injuries from having hair pulled

Your child may also show the psychological signs of someone who’s being abused. These include:

• A short, volatile temper
• Violent reactions to anger
• Fear of the daycare
• Depression
• Social isolation
• Loss of interest in activities, friends
• Guilt
• Shame

If you suspect that some sort of abuse is going on, you need to do something about it. Contacting your doctor and having them document the signs of abuse is a good first move. You’ll also want to contact the authorities to make sure that the abuse is stopped as quickly as possible. When it’s all said and done, you may want to contact a daycare abuse lawyer to discuss filing a lawsuit for negligence. The damages that your child suffered do have a financial aspect to them and your family should not have to foot those bills alone. A lawyer can give you guidance in these situations, and can explain your options moving forward.