The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce D. Perry - Book Report/Review Example

The Boy who was raised as a dog" by Bruce D. Perry The paper deals with the issues of physical and psycho-social trauma of children. The important role of social interactions, as well as medical treatment and psychological trainings, is positioned by Dr. Perry as the necessary steps to be taken in case of psychological trauma and violent accidents in a child’s life. Key words: physical and psycho-social trauma, social integration, parental involvement, human interaction, nurturing relations. "The Boy who was raised as a dog" by Bruce D. Perry The book by Bruce Perry is a perfect insight in the psyche and emotions of children, into their inner world, feelings and emotions. There is a critical consideration about maltreatment of children, their perverted destinies as the victims of tortures or witnessing of cruelties. With the example of different case studies, based on the real events Dr. Perry manages to show the way children can survive murders and violation, which they witnessed. This research paper is focused on considerations about children abuses, preventive strategies and mitigation of potential risks experienced by children and their parents. It should be noted that such kind of books can be positioned as “program” books for children and their parents. I was greatly impressed by the case when a child witnessed a mother’s death. It has great impact on a child’s psyche. Moreover, there were awful cases when a child was raised in the cage as a dog, or children were involved in the satanic rituals in Texas (Perry and Szalavitz, 2007). Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the ideas of modern researchers and scientists in this field. Psychological pressure and negative emotions and feelings of a child may destruct the life of a child. Raising children is a great responsibility. It is necessary to take into account emotional background of deep offenses. In case children are raised in unfavorable atmosphere, it is evident that in their future they will experience many difficulties and hardships. Childhood is a very important period that will influence greatly the future life of every grown-up person. Difficulties and offences experienced in the childhood usually prevent adults from happy and calm life. Unfortunately, modern families do not usually pay enough attention to mental health of their children. This may have very upsetting consequences. In case there is a lack of nurturing or a proper attention, a child may experience sociopathic challenges. People, who do not have a special medical education, may find this book especially interesting and helpful in their daily upbringing of children. The one thing should be clarified to all parents: there is a need for a profound intervention practices in order to promote nurturing relations between parents and their children. The issue of mutual interaction can be supported by common time spending by parents and children, mutual involvement in sports or other activities or just having rest together. Children are more exposed to trauma than adults. Dr. Perry finds perfect illustrations, though too realistic and cruel concerning the fact of maltreatment of children. The approach developed by this doctor is called “a neurosequential approach”. He claims that there is a need to treat trauma at both physical and psycho-social levels. The relations between children and their parents or other members of the society are effective methods in mitigation health risks and potential psychological trauma. The horrific accidents from the lives of children made me think about a necessity to focus more on preventive practices in order to avoid such accidents in different families. As a matter of fact, a story of a mother’s killing and rape witnessed by her child should be prevented at different levels. First of all, it is on behalf of the institute of the family and the society. Healthy relations between parents are favorable for children. There is a way to violate a child’s psyche in cases when parents are much more focused on the problems between them. Parents should live and cooperate like partners and devoted beloved persons in order to teach their children how to live their lives in a healthy and favorable atmosphere. We should not forget that children usually use the family of their parents as a pattern. The second step is to teach a child to be more independent and to make his own decisions quickly. In any potential accident a child should be able to protect his parents as well as his parents should be on the alert all the time. It is an atmosphere of a mutual help, assistance and understanding, which is relevant to the modern families. Dr. Perry suggests different options of dealing with psychological and emotional trauma among children. The scientific background of Dr. Perry’s approach is based on brain development, practices of care and gentleness. The central role was assigned to the important role of human relations. In the article by Wallach & Lister (1995) “Stages in the Delivery of Home-based Services to Parents at Risk of Child Abuse: a Healthy Start Experience” it is claimed that in order to prevent a child’s sexual abuse, there is a need to implement different strategies and approaches. Social approaches and the practices of modern sociologists are the best means to overcome difficulties of sexual abuse among children: “this can best be accomplished through an interdisciplinary service approach that fosters communication and collaboration among and between skilled professionals in the best interest of developing a family-focused plan to guide problem identification and strategies for intervention” (Wallach & Lister 1995, p. 163). This article promotes intervention of social groups (i.e. the importance of human relations) in dealing with children’s sexual abuse and its prevention. Other strategies are developed by Finkelhor (2009) “The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse” and it is perfectly suggested by the author that: “the first key challenge for advocates of child-focused educational programs is to develop formats that can fit sustainably into school settings and other instructional environments, such as religious education classes, by being well adapted to and integrated with the other goals of these environments” (Finkelhor 2009, p. 171). These ideas coincide with the importance of social background of Dr. Perry’s ideas. I am sure that an integrative approach to prevention of sexual abuse among children is one of the most important strategies, because a child’s life should be protected at different levels. A life’s behavior of a child is determined in his childhood. Reliable relations between parents and children are the important factor for the development of a child’s future. This book is a good example of a child’s behavior modeling with regards to positive atmosphere in the family. The relations between parents and children should be based on such basic pillars as tolerance, reliability, protection, mutual understanding etc. Conclusion Different controversies of a future behavior of the adult are caused by maltreatment of children by their parents or violent behavior experienced by children. It is hard to imagine the challenges and controversies experienced by them in the process of violent accidents. It is very important to raise sound members of the society. In case children witnessed violence or misbehavior in their childhood, they may be exposed to perverted destiny or malbehavior in their future. Neuroscience does not play a central role in treatment of psychological trauma. I think it is possible to implement suggested practices by Dr. Perry in daily lives of children. In order to mitigate and prevent potential risks of misbehavior, it is relevant to promote these issues in the surrounding environment of children by means of trainings and social participation, as well as within every family from a child’s birth and for life. References Finkelhor, D. (2009). The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse. The Future of Children, 19(2), 169+. Perry, B. and Szalavitz. (2007).The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog. Basic. Vicki A Wallach, M. A., & Lister, L. D. (1995). Stages in the Delivery of Home-based Services to Parents at Risk of Child Abuse: a Healthy Start Experience. Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice, 9(2), 159+. Read More