A Judge’s Guide

RECURRING ISSUES
The following chart sets forth various behaviors associated with children who witness
domestic violence: 98
BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
INFANTS TODDLERS
• Injury to body • Injury to body
• Poor health • Frequent illness
• Fretful sleep pattern • Shyness, withdrawn behavior
• Lethargy • Low self-esteem
• Physical neglect, e.g., diaper • Reluctance to be touched
rash, sores • Difficulty in preschool or daycare,
• Vaginal or rectal discharge, e.g., aggressiveness, biting, hitting,
e.g., often associated with difficulty sharing
sexual abuse • Poor speech development
• Excessive crying • Separation difficulties, e.g., clinging,
• Failure to gain weight yelling, hiding, shaking
• Failure to gain weight
SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN TEENAGERS
• Injury to body • Injury to body
• Frequent illness • Loss of childhood
• Psychosomatic complaints • “Perfect” child or “caretaker”
• Hitting, stealing, lying • Helplessness
• Nightmares • Anger at the abused parent, e.g., loss
• Nervous disorders, e.g., stuttering, of respect
tics • Identification with agressor
• Lack of motivation • Isolation, e.g., fearful of bringing friends
• Poor grades home
• Depression • Delinquent behavior, e.g., running away
• Need to be perfect • Difficulty with siblings
• Withdrawal • Heightened suicidal or homicidal
• Attention seeking thoughts
• Sophisticated knowledge of sex • Substance abuse
• Substance abuse • Sexual acting out
• Regression, e.g.,thumb-sucking, • Need to protect victim, parent, or
bed-wetting siblings
• Protective of mother • Assuming role of parent
• Assuming parental role with
younger siblings
• Difficulty with siblings
• Identification with agressor
It is critical to accurately assess the risk to children from abusive parents. You
should gather information from multiple sources, including “the mother, the
children, past partners of the batterer, court and police records, child protective
records, medical records, school personnel, and anyone who has witnessed
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