Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of developmentally appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviors for preadolescent and postadolescent children. In addition to providing an overview of scholarly work on this subject, anecdotes illustrating the research are provided. Potential causes for problematic sexual behaviors are explored as well evidence-based treatment options. Unique issues facing educators, forensic interviewers, and other professionals are discussed and an outline is presented of factors to be considered when reuniting siblings when there has been a sexual offense. Challenges facing MDTs investigating these cases are also discussed.
A portion of this article was originally published in Volume 45, issue 3 of the Currents in Theology and Mission in July of 2018 and is reprinted here with permission. A number of revisions and significant additions have been made to this draft.
This chapter was initially published with an incorrect copyright holder name. It has been corrected to © Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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Vieth, V.I. (2022). Recognizing and Responding to Developmentally Appropriate and Inappropriate Sexual Behaviors of Children: A Primer for Parents, Youth Serving Organizations, Schools, Child Protection Professionals, and Courts. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_27
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