Everyone knows that doctors have very significant amounts of training. What you may not know is that some of that training has to do with helping to discover the signs that someone may be the target of some sort of victimization. Doctors are trained to spot signs of abuse, whether it’s sexual, physical or even psychological. Like they do when they make any other diagnosis, doctors take into account many different factors when they determine whether or not someone has been the victim of abuse.
How They Can Help
There are several ways that a doctor can help you if you believe that your child was the victim, or is the victim, of some sort of abuse. One of the most significant actually has nothing to do with the science in which they’re trained. Doctors are authority figures to children, but they’re different than other authority figures. Children are usually used to the idea that, even though some treatments hurt, doctors are good people who want to help. They’re also used to the idea that doctors can examine them without the child needing to feel embarrassed.
This allows doctors to check for signs of physical and sexual abuse that may be hard for parents to check for. Because children know that they don’t have to be shy around doctors, the doctor can examine them and see if there is reason for concern.
If It’s Not Abuse
Doctors can also identify when injuries are likely just the consequences that go along with being a healthy kid. Children get bruised, cut and otherwise injured all the time. Some of your best childhood memories may involve getting a bruise here and there, in fact. What doctors understand is the difference between the injuries that they see on children all the time and those injuries that are generally only seen on children who are being abused.
A doctor can be a huge asset if you suspect daycare abuse. Tell them what you suspect and let the doctor examine and document any injuries your child has. If your child has a sudden change in personality, your family physician is also a good resource. They may not be psychologists, but they can sometimes give you an opinion on whether or not you need to see one and they can help you find a good one, most of the time.
If you suspect child abuse at a daycare, your physician is one of the first people you should speak with.