ABSTRACT
Prior to the “discovery” of sexual abuse in the early 1980s, sexual behavior of children was rarely the topic of clinical or research commentary. Since then, overt sexual behavior by a child is often interpreted as an indicator of sexual abuse. However, research indicates that sexual behavior is not simply a reflection of sexual abuse. In fact, a variety of sexual behaviors are common in children. Sexual behavior also appears to be related to factors other than sexual abuse (Friedrich et al., 2001).
