The Effects Of Cognitive Deficits On Children - 2742 Words

Children in institutional care such as foster care or adoption are at a heightened risk for poor psychosocial outcomes. These risks include psychopathology, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, academic failure and problems with peers. Their poor performance may result from their experiences of either maltreatment or abuse. Given that this population of children has poor long term outcomes, their deficits in cognitive functioning will assist in the development of more suitable interventions and psychotherapeutic treatment services. This study examined deficits in memory using a sample of 5 to 12-year old maltreated foster/adoption children (n=20) and a comparison group of same-aged, nonmaltreated children living with their biological†¦show more content†¦Since this is a huge problem in the legal system, there has been a huge debate on whether or not the reports of recovering memories of abuse can be authentic, since human memory is susceptible to distortion. These types of memories can either help or hurt people in the system for example prosecuting an innocent person who was accused of being an abuser. However, very few studies have been done on the population of at risk children such as those in foster care or adoption. Children in foster care and adoption are a unique group that deserves research recognition. This population of children faces a long-term life of consequences because of the maltreatment, abuse and neglect. The importance of being able to understand what child maltreatment and neglect is crucial because of the danger it can cause a child. Child maltreatment is an urgent public health problem for many reasons. This paper expects to investigate the negative effects of early maltreatment/abuse on social and psychological functioning. Literature Review Emotion Understanding and Theory of Mind At risk children such as maltreated and abused children are at a higher risk of poor psychosocial outcomes such as substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, academic failure, and future problems with peer relations (Pears Fisher, 2005). This study looked at the deficits in memory abilities among abused and maltreated children and suggested that being in foster care was