Georgia Injury Attorney Blog
Daycare abuse is a parent’s worst nightmare, and many of us just can’t believe that our trusted daycare providers could ever harm our children. Still, you should be aware of the signs that your child is a victim of daycare abuse so that you can best protect your child.
Child Frequently Comes Home Injured
The most obvious sign of daycare abuse is physical injury. Inexplicable or repeated injuries like welts, bruises and burns are very clear signs that something is wrong. Listen carefully to what the daycare provider says about how your child sustained any injury, then ask your child at home about what happened. If their stories aren’t the same, then you have a reason to become suspicious.
Behavior Changes in Your Child
Children who are being abused may have a difficult time expressing how they feel with their words, but they will often say that something is wrong by exhibiting behavioral changes. They may become more aggressive, or they may become withdrawn. They may stop telling you as many things, or they may become more demanding of your attention. If your child’s behavior changes, encourage them to talk with you and try to learn what is going on.
Exhibiting Fear
Is your child unusually reluctant to go to daycare? Have they said they are afraid of a particular caregiver? Do they tell you stories about monsters that have similar characteristics to their caregivers? Are they having increased nightmares or shying away from showing affection to adults? All of these can be signs that your child is afraid, which our Atlanta personal injury lawyers find as a warning that they could be victims of abuse.
Sexual Abuse
As much as we hate the idea of it, it is possible for a child to be sexually abused in daycare. You want to look for physical signs that there may be an issue.
Your child may explicitly tell you someone sexually mistreated them, or they may seem to regress by acting like a much younger child or having potty accidents after they’ve been fully potty trained. They may also talk about or act out sexual acts that are unusual for their age.
If your child is in an abusive daycare situation, it may be difficult to get them to trust you enough to open up to you. Be patient, try to get all the facts, then call McAleer Law to talk to one of our personal injury attorneys.
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