Elizabeth Gormley-Liffley

Elizabeth Gormley-Liffley

Doctoral Student
Michigan State University

[email protected]

Lessons Learned

• Signs of maltreatment may differ for children with disabilities, especially those with extensive support needs, from children without disabilities. Yet, this area is underexplored.
• Teachers play a pivotal role in detecting and reporting maltreatment! These are the professionals most consistently in children with disabilities’ lives outside of the home. They have the opportunity to identify nuanced signs of maltreatment that may be missed by others due to their proximity and close relationships.
• Communication skills are essential for self-reporting! As this is an area of difficulty for many children with disabilities, developing methods for teaching related vocabulary and conversational skills is vital for them to effectively communicate their experiences with maltreatment. On the flip side, children with disabilities are already communicating their experiences with maltreatment; caregivers, family members, and professionals are just not able to interpret their messages. Therefore, tools for detecting signs of maltreatment in children with disabilities are needed.

Resources Developed

• Forthcoming: “A Call to Action: Extending the Research on Trauma Assessment and Treatment for Children with Intellectual Disabilities and Extensive Support Needs”. This article is accepted by Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15407969241268664
• Forthcoming: “The Role of Special Educators in Maltreatment Identification and Trauma Treatment for Students with Extensive Support Needs”- a chapter in the Handbook on Maltreatment and its Prevention in Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Suggested Resources

• Global estimates of violence against children with disabilities: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00033-5
• Child Welfare Outcomes 2020: Report to Congress: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/cwo-report-to-…
• Exploration of the Relationship between Severe and Complex Disabilities and Child Sexual Abuse: A Call for Relevant Research: https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2019.1645782

Collaborative Areas of Interest

• The recognition of maltreatment
• The reporting process
• The impact of maltreatment on the well-being of children with disabilities