A social worker visits a home after a referral comes in about inappropriate disciplinary techniques being utilized by a mother of a nine-year-old boy. The child is described as out of control, and the parent spanks him five or six times a day. The mother has been heard screaming at the boy, and this has not helped the situation. Shortly into the initial assessment, it is discovered the child has been referred for ADHD testing by a counselor at school. The mother feels her son is simply defiant and angry because his father left the family two years ago. Should the social worker be concerned?
