Chapter 2

This past week I read chapter 2 of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog.  This chapter was very interesting. It involved a young girl Sandy who witnessed her mother’s murder, and was nearly murdered herself, when she was only three years old. Dr. Perry became involved with Sandy when he was contacted by an attorney for the Public Guardian’s office about possible meeting with Sandy in order to prepare her for trial. Now it had been about a year since Sandy had witnessed the murder of her mother and was in witness protection because she had been able to identify her mother’s killer, who was in a gang, and that gang then had a contract out against her. Dr. Perry found out that Sandy had never received any psychological treatment after witnessing this event, even though doctors had recommended it. This was quite frankly unacceptable. Dr. Perry then began to work with Sandy in order to help her overcome her marked trauma. If the symptoms Sandy presented with had been present in an adult, she would have likely been diagnosed with PTSD, but at this point children were still considered to be relatively resilient and she was often diagnosed with diseases like ADHD, oppositional-defiant disorder, and conduct- disorder, all diseases that were much more prevalent diagnoses for children. Sandy worked with Dr. Perry for quite a while and ultimately was able to enjoy her life. The trauma markedly changed her but, with intensive therapy, she was able to overcome her trauma.

There is definitely a shortage of advocates for children in the legal system today. Many of these workers, be it social workers, guardian ad litems, or foster parents, are so overwhelmed with the sheer number of children that they are responsible for that many fall through the cracks. One social worker, or guardian ad litem could have a hundred cases on their desk at one time and they simply do not have the ability to make sure that these children get the care that they deserve, especially psychologically. Often times, basic need are met; clothes, food, shelter; but often psychological care for these children who are probably the most traumatized of our nation’s children simply does not make the cut of needs that can be dealt with. This is a problem that must be rectified. These children, though resilient, cannot recover from trauma without treatment, and without treatment, many abused children turn into abusers and the cycle of violence and trauma continues.