an adult. The most important and time-sensitive step is recognizing that the act has occurred. This involves constant monitoring of their behavior for changes. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (A.A.C.A.P.) states “even a two or three year old, who cannot know the sexual activity is ‘wrong,’ will develop problems resulting from the inability to cope with the over stimulation.” Of course, not every child will have the same signs of abuse as others. Who the pedophile is and the age of the sexually abused child are the two biggest factors determining what means the child will use to deal with the situation. Lasting Effects of Child Sexual Abuse gives a complete breakdown of such behavioral traits as it applies to age of the child. Some of the traits mentioned in the book were sleeping problems, drawings or games of a sexual nature, withdrawal from friends or family, and the refusal to go to school (Powell and Wyatt 266). Granted, some of these problems do occur in children without the fact that they are being sexual molested, but the concerned parent should seek out the root of the problem through a medical examination and psychiatric consultation. Never ignore the symptoms in hope that will fade or go away as some parents choose to do. Seeking psychiatric help for situations of sexual abuse is the most important thing in the road to recovery. The untreated victim of childhood sexual abuse will become the adult with serious problems, making it harder to repair the individual if at all. Gender identity confusion and intimacy impairment are a few problems that untreated adult males have experienced (Sgroi 89-95). Further evidence through a test of personality called the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory has shown that survivors of childhood sexual abuse “reported more somatization, alienation, impulsivity, social introversion, depression, anxiety, and ruminations.̶...
