The author, a professor of psychiatry, emphasizes the need for the examiner to trace meticulously the evolution of the accusation from the first time the accuser considered the possibility that the child was sexually abused until the time of the evaluator's examination. This evolution should be traced in detail not only with the accuser but also with the accusing child and the alleged perpetrator. Twenty-four indicators should be used to differentiate individuals most likely to have a history of pedophilia. These indicators should not be used in isolation; instead, they should be combined with other data collected from the child victim and the accuser in both individual and joint interviews. Among the 24 criteria are a history of family influences conducive to the development of significant psychopathology, a long-standing history of emotional deprivation, intellectual impairment, a childhood history of sexual abuse, a long-standing history of very strong sexual urges, and impulsivity. 40 reference notes