"I Can't Think" – How Abuse & Neglect Changes a Child
Every year thousands of New Zealand children are exposed to violence and abuse. This can take a number of forms; it can be physical, emotional, psychological or sexual, and it can be directly against the child or witnessed by him or her. To a large extent it will go undetected.
Trauma, neglect and under-stimulation do not allow the brain to develop in a normal, orderly way. The time parameters governing brain development mean that by the age of three a child who has been neglected or abused may have developed a brain structure with patterns which may be difficult, or in some cases almost impossible to change. This can result in lifelong learning difficulties and emotional and social problems, leading variously to difficulty in relationships, mental health problems, juvenile offending, alcohol abuse and at the extreme end, suicide.
