What Poole and Wolfe (2009) Actually Said: A Comment on Everson and Faller (2012)

Abstract

Everson and Faller's (2012) article on the significance of sexualized behavior in child sexual abuse assessments critiques a chapter by Poole and Wolfe (2009), but their objections assumed conclusions and practice implications that were not contained in that chapter. In this comment, I reiterate the value of educating adults about normative sexual and nonsexual behavior that could be misconstrued as symptoms of sexual abuse in some children, review key points from the chapter, and point out that Everson and Faller's critique supports the chapter's take-home messages (i.e., the importance of gathering information from multiple sources and the need to test alternative hypotheses for concerning behavior, consider the overall context of individual cases, and obtain independent verification of evidence).

Keywords:

• normative behavior
• child sexual abuse evaluations
• child sexual abuse

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Debra Ann Poole

Debra Ann Poole, Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.