ABA professionals are, by law, mandatory reporters of child abuse cases. The protection of children is a duty of every person. There are issues, such as this one, on which almost everyone seems to agree.  But, sometimes what seems obvious when it comes to morals and ethics has a dangerous side, which in this case, means some elements may be ignored due to the sensitivity of the subject, as human psychology leads us to try to overlook or provide alternative explanations to indications that something unimaginable could be happening behind closed doors. And, although our team receives training on the importance of assuming an active position of identifying and reporting signs that indicate that a child is being abused or neglected, we understand that a review of only some of the consequences of this topic may not cover all indications that may present or effects maltreatment may have on the life of a child, which strongly defends why mandated reporters are trained to report even suspicions of harm.

In addition to the immediate physical or psychological injuries that children may suffer as victims of maltreatment, the long-term impacts of these experiences are often devastating and long-lasting, even over generations.

Several authors have observed a correlation between child abuse and the risk for victims to suffer in adulthood diseases such as diabetes, malnutrition, ophthalmologic problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer, to name a few. On the other hand, it has also been associated with disorders in the formation, function, or proper growth of certain brain regions such as the amygdala (involved in the processing of emotions), the hippocampus (fundamental for learning and memory), the orbitofrontal cortex (responsible for decision making), the cerebellum (which helps in motor development and executive functioning), and the corpus callosum (responsible for communication between the hemispheres and the development of cognitive skills such as memory and self-control).