In the theoretical part of my master's thesis, I define children with an intellectual disability, the types of violence against them and its consequences. I also focus on recognizing the signs of violence in the family, how children experience violence and the connection between experiencing violence and a child's intellectual disability. In the empirical part of the research, I carry out a thematic analysis and present the experiences of professional workers from various fields who are employed at social work centres, at regular elementary schools and at elementary schools with an adapted program. Through all ten interviews, I find that violence is still often considered acceptable behaviour, and violence against children with intellectual disabilities can be even more normalized. In order to recognize violence against intellectually disabled children, even more knowledge is required, especially when they do not speak, have difficulty communicating or are physically challenged, making it more difficult to express or show that they are experiencing violence in their home environment. They most often encounter cases of psychological violence and cases where a child witnesses violence by one parent against another. Professional workers generally have less experience with cases of violence against children with intellectual disabilities, which may indicate that a lot of violence remains hidden. The lowest amount of uncovered violence is among children who have been diagnosed with severe and difficult intellectual disability. I also talk with professional workers about the signs of violence by which they most often recognize violence against a child. At social work centres and at schools they encounter various challenges and obstacles when recognizing the signs of violence. Professional workers also see a connection between experiencing violence, an unstimulating environment and the child's intellectual disability. All of this can affect the child's development from pregnancy onwards. Based on the obtained results, I also draw conclusions and make proposals at the end.
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