Running head: Assignment 6.

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Assignment 6.1 Signature Assignment

Stephanie Wagerer
Fresno Pacific University

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Socialization as a whole is the process by which children learn the skills that supplement
their developmental milestones. Their environment, family, religious beliefs, and friends are
some of the biggest influencers that shape a child into the person they become as an adult.
Children are remarkably resilient as they grow up and can often take traumatic events in stride
and bounce back from them with relative ease. Resilience is the ability that a person possesses
which allows them to adapt to trauma, adversity, financial hardships, health problems, or
relationship troubles. For some children however, trauma is a day to day thing such as abuse or
disability, lowering their ability to be resilient or creating a disabled identity that labels them for
life. This paper will explore the differences in how disability and violence in a young childs life
affects their socialization and development.
As children grow, parents watch as they begin to meet their developmental milestones
such as sitting, talking, eating their first bites of food, and walking. They encourage their
children through each step and share each achievement with excitement. When a child is born
with a disability, whether mental or physical, new challenges arise that arent discussed in the
guidebooks aimed at helping parents learn the ins and outs of child rearing. Disability presents
itself in many ways that can range from mild to severe be it physical, mental, or a combination of
both. It can be difficult endeavor for parents and children alike as they realize that they must
adapt to a lifestyle that differs from their perceptions of normality.
A child with a disability finds themselves defined by their disability. In the case of mental
disorders, their illness becomes their descriptor and defines them first as disabled above all else.
This creates a disabled identity that they are known by and casts a mold that limits their choices
to what others believe they are able to do. People with disabilities are thought of by society as
being less capable than their able bodied peers. Parchomiuk (2014) identifies a phenomenon

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known as disabled socialization in which women with disabilities face social stigmas and
parental negativity that lead them to develop pessimistic thoughts and feelings about their roles
as intimate partners and parents. Their able bodied peers, by contrast, had overwhelmingly
positive views of themselves as competent partners and qualified parents.
Parents want what is best as they care for their children regardless of the situation, those
with disabled children find themselves between a rock and a hard place of wanting what is best
for them and feeling overprotective of them. They want their children to grow up without
limitations but realize that it may not be possible in the way they had imagined. In an effort to
protect their children from the stigmas that society places on disabled people, they often keep
their children away from experiences that they feel their child would not be able to participate in.
Parents also find the task of caring for a child with a disability to be a daunting task, feeling as
though they are not allowed to complain as such sentiments are met with harsh criticism from
others. Wattermeyer (2014) discusses how society is quick to cast judgement on these parents,
asserting that they should be happy to have children and not complain about their disability lest
they be viewed as ungrateful.
Disability is one of the hardships that children face as they grow up and often times it is
compounded by violence in the household through Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or abuse
perpetuated against them directly. Svensson, B., Eriksson, U., & Janson, S. (2013) states
Children with chronic conditions or disabilities are at an increased risk for abuse. High levels
of parental stress and lack of a support system are common factors in abuse and neglect cases
dealing with young children. Abuse and violence can happen to any child regardless of
circumstance but children with a disability are 1.7-7 times more likely to experience some kind
of abuse as compared to children without chronic conditions. (Svensson et al., 2013)

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Parents struggle with feelings of anger and powerlessness when their child will not
cooperate when being given their medication, during bedtime, or refuses to be bathed. Parents
often feel an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and lack of energy after taking care of their
disabled child, raising the risk of abusive behaviors. Healthy children in the home create
additional stress as their needs and demands are simplistic compared to their disabled sibling,
causing anger to be directed at the disabled child. I dont feel so powerless with my healthy
children, there I have a completely different repertoire. (Svensson et al, p.889 2013)
Children who experience some form of violence or abuse are more likely to develop poor
socialization skills such as nonverbal decoding, emotional regulation, and the prosocial skills that
help them interact with others in day to day living. Additionally children who experienced
violence in the home were less resilient than children were not witnesses to violence. Lower
levels of resilience correlated directly to the severity of the violence they experienced. Bowen &
Nowicki (2007) explains that children who experience even a small amount of abuse or
maltreatment show global deficits in their ability to understand emotions relating to anger,
sadness, and happiness.
Disability and violence are daunting hurdles that many children face in todays society.
Family stressors such as poverty, parental disability, and lack of social support make reaching out
for help seem like failure to many parents. As a result many children slip through the cracks and
are left behind academically, socially, and emotionally. Educators, doctors, church group leaders,
and other parents need to be sensitive to the needs of the children in their community. Parents
who feel overwhelmed often do not know where to begin looking for support and rely on
referrals given by their external support members who understand the difficulties these parents

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face. Childhood violence and abuse can be avoided but accountability and vigilance must be
maintained for parents and children.
My job as a teacher is to support parents through the classroom environment but also to
be aware of the warning signs of possible abuse. I must be culturally sensitive to the needs of my
students and not assume that my experiences as a teacher and mother defines others actions. I
can use my background as a jumping point for conversations as parents come to me for help and
understanding. Disabilities present challenges that children are intrinsically curious about and
thoughtful discussion of disabilities can lead to understanding without patronization. Children
need adults to take care of their needs and to be aware of signs of trouble so that they can get the
best possible care in the home and at school.

References

Bowen, E., & Nowicki, S. (2007). The Nonverbal Decoding Ability of Children Exposed to
Family Violence or Maltreatment: Prospective Evidence from a British Cohort. J
Nonverbal Behav Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 169-184.

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Howell, K., Graham-Bermann, S., Czyz, E., & Lilly, M. (2010). Assessing Resilience in
Preschool Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence. Violence and Victims
Violence, 150-164.
Parchomiuk, M. (2014). Social Context of Disabled Parenting. Sexuality and Disability Sex
Disabil, 231-242.
Svensson, B., Eriksson, U., & Janson, S. (2013). Exploring risk for abuse of children with
chronic conditions or disabilities - parent's perceptions of stressors and the role
of

professionals. Child: Care, Health and Development Child Care Health Dev.

Watermeyer, B., & Mckenzie, J. (2014). Mothers of disabled children: In mourning or on the
march? Journal of Social Work Practice, 405-416.