cognition. The child in an alarm Exposed to Domestic Violence? their exposure and support the state will be less efficient at Children’s healthy brain child’s relation- ship with the processing and storing the development is supported by a nonabusing parent. verbal information the teacher nurturing relationship with one The critical importance of the is providing.14 or more adults, especially the child’s connection to the nurturing child’s primary caregiver, usually parent is dramatically illustrated The resulting failure to learn has the mother. The most important in a DVD titled Helping Babies from con- sequences across the lifespan. thing a judge can do to protect the Bench: Using the children exposed to domestic vio- What Can a Judge Do for Children lence and help them heal is to end 34 • Judges’ Journal Vol. 53 No. 3 The
cognition. The child in an alarm state will be less efficient at processing and storing the verbal information the teacher is providing.14 The resulting failure to learn has con- sequences across the lifespan. What Can a Judge Do for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence? Children’s healthy brain development is supported by a nurturing relationship with one or more adults, especially the child’s primary caregiver, usually the mother. The most important thing a judge can do to protect children exposed to domestic vio- lence and help them heal is to end their exposure and support the child’s relation- ship with the nonabusing parent. The critical importance of the child’s connection to the nurturing parent is dramatically illustrated in a DVD titled Helping Babies from the Bench: Using the 34 The Judges’ Journal • Vol. 53 No. 3