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Schools are expected to do a lot of things.  Among the expectations laid upon the schools is the expectation that teachers will discover and report children who are abused.  Indeed, there is research which suggests teachers are quite suspicious of abuse but also some studies suggesting teachers under report abuse.¹  Teachers are also aware of the high frequency of false reports against teachers and many advise caution and no touching of children under any circumstances.²

This book is an attempt to provide teachers with a summary of the current research on child abuse.  The goal is to improve the accuracy of teacher's reports of abuse.  Unfortunately, that goal is not likely to be reached by this book.  There are appropriate cautions given when dealing with indicators of abuse and risk factors.  The statements are there that the indicators are not specific and cannot in themselves prove abuse has occurred.  However, the authors then go on to list all possible behaviors that have been mentioned as potential signs of abuse.  There is no explanation given anywhere in the book of the issue of base rates and how it is essential to know and understand the significance and impact of base rates on any use of signs or indicators.  If a reader does not know how to consider base rates, and makes reports based on observations of indicators and risk factors in this book, inevitably there will be a high frequency of false reports.  Rather than increasing accuracy, it will lead to increased inaccuracy.

Also, when reporting research, studies that falsify some claims are not cited nor referred to but rather misleading information is given to the reader.  An example is the section dealing with disclosure where it is reported that delays in reporting are frequent and disclosure is a process of pieces of memory being dribbled out across time.  There is credible, replicated research showing that most children do not delay disclosure but that they disclose abuse to someone within a week.  Also the specific assertion that disclosure proceeds in pieces has been falsified in a study by Bradley and Wood.³  In discussing the false memory syndrome the authors misrepresent the research and apparently do not understand that a single study that falsifies a hypothesis counts more than many that may support it.  Selective reporting of research continues throughout the book.

The pursuit of improved accuracy for teachers is desirable but this book will not assist in reaching that goal.  It is not recommended.

¹ O'TooIe, R., et al. (1999). Teachers' recognition and reporting of child abuse: A factorial survey. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(11), 1083-1101.

Hatch, J. A. (Ed.). (1995). Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Settings ()(). Westport, CT: Praeger.

² Anderson, E. M., & Levine, M. (1999). Concerns about allegations of child sexual abuse against teachers and the teaching environment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(8), 833-843.

3 Bradley, A. R., & Wood, J. M. (1996). How do children tell? The disclosure process in child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 20(9), 881-891.

Reviewed by Ralph Underwager, Institute for Psychological Therapies.