title: Memory presentations of childhood sexual abuse.
abstract: Questions are continually raised about the accuracy and validity of very young children's memories of traumatic events. Out of 19 children, where the median age was 2 1/2 at time of disclosure, 11 had full verbal memory, five had fragmented verbal memory traces, and three had no memory 5 to 10 years following day care sexual abuse. Data from this clinical study suggest the nature of children's memory is four-dimensional: somatic, behavioral, verbal, and visual. Efforts need to continue to document the nonverbal components for assessment and treatment purposes.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014342:Truth Disclosure