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Janet,
You are just what this little girl needs. She's old enough for you to talk to her. I wouldn't bring up her family, but I would discuss her behavior with her and I would also track down someone in her school or district who cares and get them together. Her family isn't going to step up, but if she's going to be a survivor, she needs to learn to get her needs met by those outside of her family. When I was doing drop-out prevention with little ones who were "at risk," I can't tell you the stories I came across. Children who are able to find adults who are caring will be able to survive. This may, in fact, be one of the reasons she is acting out on your bus. She's checking you out to see if you're going to help her. It's heartbreaking to watch, but somebody has to help these abused children, at least to the extent that you can. I had my heart broken so often just listening to some of their stories, but by just listening, I know I helped these kids. The most important thing for a child is that somebody loves them enough to listen to them and acceptm their feelings without judgement.
She's lucky she found you,
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