Practice Parameters for the Forensic Evaluation of Children and Adolescents Who May Have Been Physically or Sexually Abused

Abstract

These practice parameters describe the forensic evaluation of children and adolescents who may have been physically or sexually abused. The recommendations are drawn from guidelines that have been published by various professional organizations and authors and are based on available scientific research and the current state of clinical practice. These parameters consider the clinical presentation of abused children, normative sexual behavior of children, interview techniques, the possibility of false statements, the assessment of credibility, and important forensic issues. These parameters were approved by Council of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in September 1996 and were previously published in J. Am. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1997, 36:423-442.