NCJ Number
223299
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 144-162
Date Published
2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol to enhance the quantity and content of details reported by children with low verbal abilities in investigative interviews.
Abstract
The results indicate that not only did the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol increase the amount of information obtained by all children, but it also helped children with low verbal ability (LVA) provide twice as many details as provided without the protocol. The study results shed light on the potential value of the NICHD protocol to enhance accounts of the sexual abuse of children with verbal difficulties. Conducting investigative interviews with child victims of sexual abuse is a complex task for an interviewer, yet it is even more challenging with children with intellectual difficulties. The NICHD protocol is a structured investigative protocol that applies recommended strategies to enhance retrieval of complete, informative, and accurate accounts of alleged incidents by young victim/witnesses into operational guidelines. It may also enhance accounts of children with verbal difficulties. Thirty-four children aged 6 to 14 were interviewed following their experience of sexual abuse in order to explore the impact of the NICHD protocol to enhance details given by children with LVA and to document any differences in response to distinct types of questions. Tables, figure, references