Evaluations of children who have disclosed sexual abuse via facilitated communication.
OBJECTIVE
To review the findings of interdisciplinary team evaluations of children who disclosed sexual abuse via facilitated communication.


METHODS
Case series.


METHODS
Tertiary care hospital outpatient child sexual abuse program in central New York.


METHODS
Between January 1990 and March 1993, 13 children who disclosed sexual abuse via facilitated communication and were referred to a university hospital child abuse referral and evaluation center. The range of previously determined developmental diagnosis included mental retardation, speech delay, and autism.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Medical records were reviewed for (1) disclosure, (2) physical evidence, (3) child's behavioral and medical history, (4) disclosures by siblings, (5) perpetrator's confession, (6) child protective services determinations, and (7) court findings.


RESULTS
Four children had evidence of sexual abuse: two had physical findings consistent with sexual abuse, one also disclosed the allegation verbally, and one perpetrator confessed.


CONCLUSIONS
These results neither support nor refute validation of facilitated communication. However, many children had other evidence of sexual abuse, suggesting that each child's case should be evaluated without bias.
Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York Health Science Center, Syracuse.
A S
AS
Botash
D
D
Babuts
N
N
Mitchell
M
M
O'Hara
L
L
Lynch
J
J
Manuel
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D010808:Physical Examination; D012932:Social Facilitation; D014342:Truth Disclosure