Abstract
Physical and emotional neglect of infants and small children results in severe consequences for their social, emotional, and cognitive development. Because of a lack of emotional attention and developmental guidance, children develop bonding deficits; developmental delays, especially in speech development; and behavioral problems. Emotional neglect is often combined with emotional abuse. In older children and adolescents, aspects of social neglect such as lack of supervision, care, and guidance become more important, resulting in a failure to master age-appropriate milestones of psychosocial development and education. Pediatricians play a central role in the early recognition of all forms of neglect, especially of nonorganic failure to thrive and emotional deprivation. Signs and symptoms of neglect may develop slowly and do not always allow an early diagnosis. However, abnormalities in parent-infant interaction become apparent quite early and may be recognized. Pediatricians need further training in how to observe developmentally appropriate interactions and how to broaden their skills in psychosomatic health care.
Translated title of the contribution | Neglect of neglect. Caring for neglected children in pediatric practice |
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Original language | German |
Journal | Monatsschrift fur Kinderheilkunde |
Volume | 156 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 654-661 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 0026-9298 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 07.2008 |
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)