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.

DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

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

PATIENTS

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.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

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.