Child Welfare License (CWEL) Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Study Resource

The sub-type of emotional maltreatment known as isolating is characterized by the child being cut off from normal social relationships. This form of maltreatment involves deliberately limiting a child's ability to interact with peers, thus hindering their social development and emotional well-being. By isolating a child, caregivers can create a sense of dependency, control, and loneliness, which can have severe long-term effects on the child's mental health and ability to form healthy relationships in the future.

In contrast, the other options describe scenarios that do not align with the concept of isolation. For instance, being left alone for unreasonable periods may involve neglect but does not necessarily relate to the dynamic of emotional maltreatment through isolation. Supporting a child in making friendships or allowing them the freedom to explore social interactions promotes social development, which is the opposite of isolation. Therefore, cutting a child off from normal social relationships accurately reflects the described emotional maltreatment subtype of isolating.