Advancement in Risk Assessment of Sexually Abusive Youth: Applicability of MEGA^♩ to Low Intellectual Functioning Youth

Abstract

Multiplex Empirically Guided Inventory of Ecological Aggregates for Assessing Sexually Abusive Adolescents and Children (ages 19 and under; MEGA^♩) is a conceptually designed developmentally sensitive risk assessment tool, with seven aggregates and four distinct risk scales with excellent internal consistency reliability. MEGA^♩ is supported by validation data (N = 1184, males: n = 979, females: n = 205), 18.9% of whom were low intellectual functioning. MEGA^♩ is a comprehensive, structured risk assessment tool for assessing risk for sexually abusive behavior in all youth 19 years and under, including male and female adjudicated and nonadjudicated youth, children under 12, and low intellectual functioning youth. Validation findings on low intellectual functioning youth are highlighted.

Keywords:

• sexually abusive youth
• adolescent sex offenders
• risk assessment
• recidivism
• developmentally delayed
• low intellectual functioning
• mental retardation

Notes

Department of Health. (2001). Valuing people: A new strategy for learning disability for the 20th century. London: The Stationery Office.