Child Abuse Case Study: Dave Pelzer

I am handling a child abuse case on a 12-year-old boy named Dave Pelzer out of Dale City, California. When Dave was first brought forward to me he appeared withdrawn, fearful, and emaciated, which are clear indications of child abuse and neglect he had endured over the years from his mother. Following my observation and sessions with him I have concluded that he underwent physical, mental and emotional abuse which gives an accurate account of. The maltreatment started when he was four years old, as he solemnly narrated, from when his mother started drinking leading to her depression. She first started with banishing him into isolation then it escalated to beatings. The beatings were so severe that he got his arm broken in one instance and

From a causal point of view, Dave’s abuse is caused by alcohol abuse, postnatal stress disorder and the economic situation of his family. However, I believe, the economic situation may have triggered the alcohol abuse. Dave’s father is a fireman working a twenty four hour shift so he is rarely at home. His mother is a stay -at -home wife who takes care of Dave and his four siblings. This, I believe, puts a strain on his parents’ relationship due to the lack of constant communication and therefore emotional distance between them. This state progresses to the mother taking alcohol triggering depressive symptoms. However, it is not clear if the depression was caused the alcohol abuse or vice versa. Even so, they are the genesis of Dave’s long term

The hospital and the school were both aware that something was wrong, almost from the inception of the troubles that the victim faced. The teachers in school should have questioned further when they saw the deterioration of the attitude and vigour of the