COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERVIEWING FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

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This project will develop an interactive-multimedia computer program to aid in interviewing children age 3 - 8 to ascertain sexual abuse. The program will assist the interviewer by providing a framework for the interview and an environment that helps the child tell her or his story. It will also provide questions, suggestions, and in-service training for the interviewer. The program will provide separate modes appropriate for different developmental levels of the children within the target age range. Interactive-multimedia programs communicate with animation, graphics, and sound, in addition to text. Even very young children who don't know how to read or use a keyboard can operate these easy-to-use programs. This technology will yield more information than traditional interviewing techniques, because it facilitates the child's non-verbal modes of communication and mitigates the child's distraction. In addition, interviewers from different disciplines will be able to utilize the technology's hypertext feature to select questions based on their specific needs and on the progress of the individual interview. The program is expected to reduce the number of interviews and therefore the stress on the child. Potential users include agencies and individuals that interview children to ascertain sexual abuse, such as mental health and legal professionals.