PRACTICE PARAMETERS FOR THE FORENSIC EVALUATION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY OR SEXUALLY ABUSED

These practice parameters describe the forensic E-valuation of childre n 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 avail able scientific research and the current state of clinical practice. T hese parameters consider the clinical presentation of abused children, normative sexual behavior of children, interview techniques, the poss ibility of false statements, tile assessment of credibility, and impor tant forensic issues.