School-age children showed no real propensity to disclose either in a purposeful or accidental manner; preschool children were significantly more likely to disclose accidentally, and adolescents were significantly more likely to disclose purposefully. Almost three-fourths of the children examined denied the sexual abuse. Tentative disclosure became the common middle step for 78 percent of these children. Only one of every 10 children (11 percent) were able to provide a disclosure of sexual abuse without denying or demonstrating tentative features. Active disclosure, that is, a detailed, coherent, first-person account of the abuse, eventually was made by 96 percent of the children with two-thirds of the subjects being currently abused. Seventy percent provided further information over time about the sexually abusive activities. Children recanted their allegations in about 22 percent of the cases. The findings fail to support the common presumption that most abused children are capable of immediate active disclosure by providing a coherent, detailed account in an initial investigative interview. 21 references, 3 tables, and 5 figures