Skip to main content

Maltreatment/Bullying

Children are expected to be loved, nurtured and protected.  Instead one in four children with disabilities will experience maltreatment, i.e., physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse.  The maltreatment experience significantly inhibits the children’s learning, language, behavior, social and academic performance.  In recognition of this reality, CEC has recently established the policy that educational professionals must not only recognize and report, but also prevent and respond to the maltreatment of their students.  As a result, professionals must now learn how to give their students the knowledge, skills and resources they need to recognize, avoid and when necessary, respond to maltreatment.

If you have questions about maltreatment or best practices in this area, please contact CEC to be put in touch with a subject matter expert in this field.

© 2023 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). All rights reserved.