Family is not only the primary agent of socialisation but the most important influencer of child development. This implies the nature of home environment (family) can make or mar a child's development. Unfortunately, the incidence of nuclear family dysfunction and domestic violence in our society is high and on the increase, and its implication for children's cognitive and emotional functioning and social adjustment is ignored.
Sometime ago, a young couple visited a speech-language clinic to seek solution to the sudden muteness of their child at home. They complained that their child's school teacher observed he stopped interacting with his classmates and refused to answer questions in class, leaving the teacher frustrated with the child's unresponsiveness. The speech language pathologist (SLP) clerked the parents and assessed the child. The child had no (neuro)developmental delay or disability. However, the SLP observed something odd between the couple. The SLP, through further probing, discovered that the father beats the mother regularly in front of the child which triggered the development of a disorder called "post-traumatic mutism" in the child.
Research has shown that family psychopathology (dysfunction, discord, spousal abuse or/and domestic violence) can lead to the development of post-traumatic mutism and other cognitive, behavioral and mental health disorders in children. Therefore, it's very important that parents resolve familial conflicts amicably with the knowledge that whatever they do will affect their child, for better or for worse.
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