Professional Preparation in Deaf Education to Observe, Understand, & Respond to Child Abuse and NeglectDr. Harold A. Johnson/ProfessorMichigan State UniversityISPCAN ConferenceHonolulu, Hawaii9/27/2010

Aloha from......282,733 children birth to age 2;...701,949 children ages 3 to 5;...6,118,437 children ages 6 through 21who receive special education services within the United States28th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2006. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2006/parts-b-c/index

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The 7,103,119 children, their parents, and the professionals who work with them thank you for your work.

We also ask you not to forget us as you work to stop child abuse and neglect.

My presentation today will focus upon a subset of this group, i.e., children who are deaf/hard of hearing (d/HH).

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Incidence Data for Children who are D/HHDeafRate of 0.81 per 1,000 = 67,000Lot of TroubleRate of 301 per 1,000 = 260,000Little Trouble Rate of 2.97 per 1,000 = 2,500,000NIDCD (2006). NIDCD Outcomes Research in Children with Hearing Loss. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/funding/programs/hb/outcomes/report.

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Impact of Hearing LossWhile even a mild, unilateral (i.e., one ear) hearing loss can negatively impact a childs academic performance (Antia, 2010), the 327,000 children who are either deaf, or experience a lot of trouble hearing, experience GREAT difficulty in developing the knowledge, communication strategies and self advocacy skills needed to prevent, or stop the maltreatment they experience. H. Johnson/MSU*

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Parents of children who are d/hh and the professionals who work with them are largely unaware of the fact that children with disabilities experience maltreatment at a rate that is three times greater than that of their nondisabled peers (Marge, 2003; Sullivan, & Knutson, 2000).

This lack of awareness increases the risk for maltreatment, while simultaneously reducing the availability and efficacy of maltreatment services and programs.

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What did I study and learn within my investigation?H. Johnson/MSU*

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InvestigationThe investigation examined the extent to which parents and professionals who work with children who are deaf/hard of hearirng (d/hh) are informed and prepared to recognize and respond to possible incidences of child abuse and/or neglect CA/N. H. Johnson/MSU*

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Demographic Data322 respondents to a 2008 survey:Most (60%) were between the ages of 35-54.Most (80%) had greater than a B.A./B.S. degree. Most (90%) were femaleMost (88%) were professionalsMost (82%) were hearingMost (70%) had 11+ years of experience in interacting with individuals who were d/hhMost (82%) had daily interactions with individuals who were d/hhA majority (51%) used speech & sign in those interactions, with the rest using speech (25%), or sign (18%)

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FindingsTraining re. CA/N:Majority (64%) had formal training re. CA/N, but only in a minority (29%) of cases, was the training specific to children who were d/hh

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Training resulted in mixed results, i.e., In response to the question How well prepared do you now consider yourself to be in relation to recognizing and reporting possible cases of child abuse and neglect?

A slight majority (53%) indicated that they were well, or sufficiently prepared to recognize and report possible cases of CA/N of children who were hearing.

A slight majority (55%) also indicated that well, or sufficiently confident, they could find accurate information concerning CA/N

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In contrast, a majority (61%) indicated that they were only somewhat, or not confident in their ability to recognize if a child who is deaf/hard of hearing (d/hh) was experiencing CA/N

A slight majority (53%) indicated that they were very confident, or sufficiently confident, in their knowledge regarding of how to report possible incidences of CA/N as experienced by a child who is d/hh. H. Johnson/MSU*

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A majority (58%) indicated they were only somewhat, or not confident in their knowledge regarding how to respond to a child who is d/hh and possible the victim of CA/N

Finally, a majority (88%) of the respondents expressed a desire to learn more about the prevention and recognition of CA/N as experienced by children who were d/hh. H. Johnson/MSU*

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What are the implications of the results of this investigation? H. Johnson/MSU*

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While children with disabilities are three times more likely to experience CA/N than their hearing peers, Deaf Education professionals and parents are not well prepared to observe, understand, or respond to possible instances of CA/N and they would like to learn more re. this topic.

This lack of preparation hinders our ability to prevent and respond to possible instances of CA/N. H. Johnson/MSU

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What are the primary barriers to the effective prevention, reporting, investigating, and researching instances of maltreatment experienced by children with disabilities? H. Johnson/MSU*

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1. Belief that CA/N is not a common, or sufficiently important problem to warrant our attention, e.g., 2010 International Congress on Education of the Deaf (ICED) 355 presentations at this conference, only four (1.1%) re. CA/N

2010 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) National Convention127 formal presentations, only one (0.8%) re. CA/N

2010 Internal Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect (IPCAN)...396 presentations, only seven (1.8%) re. individuals with disabilities and CA/N.

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2. Insufficient knowledge re. the signs and symptoms of CA/N [particularly in relation to children with disabilities] and uncertainties re. reporting procedures

3. Perceived negative consequences of reporting CA/N, i.e., make things worse for the child; and fear of disapproval from parents, parental denial, lack of administrative support and legal ramifications for false allegations.

4. Lessons learned from past reporting, e.g., nothing happened.

5. Negative attitude towards Child Protective Services.

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6. The lack of training, and ongoing support, concerning recognizing, reporting and responding to possible incidences of CA/N.

7. The belief that someone else is dealing with this problem. Alvarex, Kenny, Donohue, & Carpin, 2004; Bonner, & Hensley, 1997; Kenny, 2001, 2004

8. Complexities encountered in identifying subjects with disabilities, designing rigorous investigations, and securing funding.

Marge, 2003

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I have found that the sheer difficulty of finding, understanding and using information between the fields of Special Education and Child Abuse/Neglect essentially serves to maintain the current system that fails to protect thousands of children with disabilities from abuse and neglect.

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What can we do to increase our knowledge base, prevention, and services concerning children with disabilities, abuse, and neglect? H. Johnson/MSU*

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H. Johnson/MSU*Elephant: emotional response

Ryder: conceptual understanding

Path: clear action steps The presence of a disability significantly increases the risk of CA/N. 1. Share what we know = wiki based2. Identify, link, and support existing experts3. Establish an online Community of Learners concerning CA/N & Children w/ DisabilitiesDisability & Child Abuse Action Network MeetingTuesday, 9/28/201012:00 1:00 p.m.Room 317BAuthors CornerBright SpotsDCANN

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O.U.R Children Coalition (Observe, Understand, & Respond) Child Abuse & Neglect Community of Learners for Children with Disabilities*http://deafed-childabuse-neglect-col.wiki.educ.msu.edu/

Thank You & Contact InformationHarold A. Johnson/ProfessorDeaf Education Teacher Preparation343A Erickson HallMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI 48824

517 432-3926 [office]517 353-6393 [fax]35.8.171.220 [video ph]Harold.a.johnson3 [Skype]MSUE_H_Johnson [iVisit]www.deafed.net [Web]H. Johnson/MSU*

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H. Johnson/MSU*Resource: Definitions of Child Abuse & Neglect11th Commandment video (captioned & described by Described & Captioned Media) Critical Resourceshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7icgPX88Q6QWhat is Child Abuse and Neglect?http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/whatiscan.cfmPreventing Child Abuse and Neglect.http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/preventingcan.cfm

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Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Symptoms.http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/signs.cfm

Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglecthttp://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfmH. Johnson/MSU*

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H. Johnson/MSU*Antia, S. (2010). Academic status and progress of deaf/hh students: Five years of change. Retrieved from: http://pili.wiki.educ.msu.edu/file/view/Shirin+Antia+-+Summit+2010+-+Five+years+of+change.pptAlvarex, K.M., Kenny, M.C., Donohue, B., & Carpin, K. M. (2004). Why are professionals failing to initiate mandated reports of child maltreatment, and are there any empirically based training programs to assist professionals in the reporting process? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9, 563-578. Bonner, B.L. & Hensley, L.D. (1997). State efforts to identify maltreated children with disabilities: A follow-up study. Child Maltreatment, 2(1), 52-60. Kenny, M. C. (2001). Child abuse reporting: Teachers perceived deterrents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 81-92. Kenny, M. (2004). Teachers attitudes toward and knowledge of child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1311-1319. Marge, D. K. (Ed.) (2003). A call to action: Ending crimes of violence against children and adults with disabilities, A report to the nation. Retrieved from: http://www.upstate.edu/pmr/marge.pdf Sullivan, P.M., & Knutson, J.F. (2000). Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(10), 1257-1273.

Reference List

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H. Johnson/MSU*Do? Tell! Kids Against Child Abuse DVD (n.d.). Information presented in ASL, English, & Spanish. Retrieved on February 8, 2008 from: http://www.kidsagainstchildabuse.org/Durity, Richard & Oxman, Amy (2006). Addressing the Trauma Treatment Needs of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and the Hearing Children of Deaf Parents. Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/Trauma_Deaf_Hard-of-Hearing_Children.pdf Horner-Johnson, W., & Drum, C.E. (2006). Prevalence of maltreatment of people with intellectual disabilities: A review of the recently published research. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 12(1), 57-69.Bibliography

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ResourcesAdvocacy Services for Abused Deaf Women and Children (DOVE)Child Abuse & Neglect Community of Learners for Children with Disabilities (wiki)ChildHelp Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children Helpline: 1-800-222-4453Deaf Education Web Site (Deafed)Described and Captioned Media Programs (DCMP) Sorenson Video Relay Services (VRS) H. Johnson/MSU*

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AppendixAuthors Corner

Bright Spots Project

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Authors CornerH. Johnson/MSU*BACKWiki Technology

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NLCSD 2-10 *26 investigations presented, e.g., Dr. Shirin Antias publication entitled Academic Status of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in public schools: Student, home, and service facilitators and detractors, from 6/9/08-6/29/08. 26 messages posted, thus far viewed 2,213 times

Between 2/13/08 and 1/22/10, the Authors Corner wiki site logged 21,091 visitsBACKGoogle Analytics

NLCSD 2-10

Bright Spots ProjectThe identification of 100 community leaders to serve as Bright Spots, i.e., respected and trusted individuals who participate in a community of learners to share, gather, and develop the knowledge, skills, and programs needed to increase awareness, enhance communication, and establish programs for the protection and success of our children.

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Video based sharing of role specific information from trusted and valued members of learning communities

Mrs. Janet DesGeorges/Director of Outreach for Hands & VoicesH. Johnson/MSU*BACK

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TechnologiesiVisit + Skype + wiki = synchronous video/audio and text collaboration/teaching system

11 Commandment w/ captioned & describedDo?Tell! DVD w/ ASL & Spanish

H. Johnson/MSU*PILI ProjectBACK

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StrategiesAuthors CornerCyber MentorsFrequently Encountered ProblemsSkype Enabled Guest Presentations & Staff Support

Video Based Information Delivery SystemH. Johnson/MSU*BACK

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A Request for Help & An Offer of AssistanceRequests:Guidance regarding the forensic interviewAssistance in finding the 1st 100Offer:Preparation of Deaf Education professionals and parents to effectively Observe, Understand, and Respond to possible instances of CA/NSupport for Guides By Your Side and Early Intervention Specialists to prevent/report CA/N.H. Johnson/MSU*BACK

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