On the origins of the battered child syndrome: abuse as acting out of preverbal events.

The clinical description of a chronically acting out boy, now 14 years old, physically abused by parents and especially by mother, has been the starting point for presenting some concepts on the nature and prevention of child abuse. This patient's life history included repeated hospital admissions, beginning the second month of life and lasting for periods of months. His violent acting out towards objects and people, but particularly his continuous negativistic attitudes towards parents, and his rejection of his mother and home were each time the setting for battles in the family. The role played by medical institutions in promoting child abuse through family detachment and communication loss is briefly considered.