9. The Problem Of Child Sexual Abuse: Response., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Nov 2005
9. The Problem Of Child Sexual Abuse: Response., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Thomas D. Lyon
THE POLICY FORUM “THE SCIENCE OF CHILD sexual abuse” by J. J. Freyd et al. (22 Apr., p. 501) provides an extremely important call to action to the scientific community. In 1999, James Mercy, Senior Scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted the importance of viewing child sexual abuse with “new eyes” (1). The implementation of Freyd et al.’s policy recommendations would help us to do this. For too long, the fact that the topic makes us uneasy has caused too many of us to avert our eyes. But what if child sexual abuse were a …
10. Development Of Temporal-Reconstructive Abilities., William J. Friedman, Thomas D. Lyon
Nov 2005
10. Development Of Temporal-Reconstructive Abilities., William J. Friedman, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
In a study of the ability to reconstruct the times of past events, 86 children from 4 to 13 years recalled the times of 2 in-class demonstrations that had occurred 3 months earlier and judged the times of hypothetical events. Many of the abilities needed to reconstruct the times of events were present by 6 years, including the capacity to interpret many temporally relevant cues, but there were substantial changes well into middle childhood in the availability of temporally useful episodic information. Children were poor at remembering the events’ proximity or order with respect to a major holiday, but the …
8. The Science Of Child Sexual Abuse., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Oct 2005
8. The Science Of Child Sexual Abuse., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Thomas D. Lyon
Child sexual abuse (CSA) involving sexual contact between an adult (usually male) and a child has been reported by 20% of women and 5 to 10% of men worldwide (1–3). Surveys likely underestimate prevalence because of underreporting and memory failure (4–6). Although official reports have declined somewhat in the United States over the past decade (7), close to 90% of sexual abuse cases are never reported to the authorities (8).
7. Why Child Maltreatment Researchers Should Include Children’S Disability Status In Their Maltreatment Studies., Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Thomas D. Lyon, Greg Taliaferro
Aug 2005
7. Why Child Maltreatment Researchers Should Include Children’S Disability Status In Their Maltreatment Studies., Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Thomas D. Lyon, Greg Taliaferro
Thomas D. Lyon
Approximately8%of children in the US have disabilities (US Census Bureau, 2002), and these children are more likely to be abused or neglected than their non-disabled peers. The studies that have identified this vulnerability have varied in methodology and sample, and yet the findings have been remarkably consistent. But much work still needs to be done to know the magnitude of the problem, and what professionals can do to help. We are writing to encourage researchers in the child maltreatment field to include children’s disability status in their studies of abuse and neglect. Below is a summary of what …
8. Speaking With Children: Advice From Investigative Interviewers., Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2004
8. Speaking With Children: Advice From Investigative Interviewers., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Imagine that you are treating a child suffering from the effects of neglect. You do not suspect sexual abuse, and do not directly question the child about abuse, but she makes what sounds like anabuse disclosure. Or, you hear from another source (a sibling, for example, or a caretaker) that thechild has made statements hinting that she was abused. What should you do? If you decide to question the child, you may inadvertently suggest information. Even if you are careful to avoid
leading questions, you may later be attacked for contaminating the child=s story, given the inherent polarization …
