Which statement BEST describes severe neglect?

Which statement BEST describes severe neglect?

• A. Not letting a child watch TV.
• B. Missing bedtime.
• C. Not providing a bicycle.
• D. Failing to protect a child from malnutrition or medically diagnosed non-organic failure to thrive.

Answer: (D)

Severe neglect means failing to meet a child’s essential physical needs and medical care, causing or risking serious harm. The statement about not protecting a child from malnutrition or from a medically diagnosed non-organic failure to thrive directly describes a failure to provide core necessities—nutrition and appropriate medical evaluation—which is the clearest example of severe neglect. It shows a risk to the child’s health and safety that goes beyond ordinary parenting gaps. The other scenarios depict less clear-cut neglect. Not letting a child watch TV, or missing a bedtime, or not providing a bicycle are more about routine limits or material items and typically do not illustrate the essential physical needs and medical care that define severe neglect.

Severe neglect means failing to meet a child’s essential physical needs and medical care, causing or risking serious harm. The statement about not protecting a child from malnutrition or from a medically diagnosed non-organic failure to thrive directly describes a failure to provide core necessities—nutrition and appropriate medical evaluation—which is the clearest example of severe neglect. It shows a risk to the child’s health and safety that goes beyond ordinary parenting gaps.

The other scenarios depict less clear-cut neglect. Not letting a child watch TV, or missing a bedtime, or not providing a bicycle are more about routine limits or material items and typically do not illustrate the essential physical needs and medical care that define severe neglect.