The 27 mothers and 47 children were living in a shelter operated by the Spring of Tampa Bay, Florida. The research also compared the extent of developmental delays and behavioral dysfunction in these child witnesses to family violence with the prevalence of such delays and behavior problems in normative comparison children. Results revealed that the children of battered mothers had significantly greater developmental delays and problems behaviors than did the comparison normative children. No differences existed between sexes or age groups. Findings indicated that being a child witness to family violence affects the child's development of skills necessary for successful living. Such skills include children's understanding of the world they live in and their ability to process thoughts into effective communications with others. These delayed skills also negative influence the children's interactions with others and the development of their sensitivity to the needs of other people. Tables and 35 references (Author abstract modified)