Mental health and legal professionals have struggled to establish methods to assess and demonstrate whether a particular child has been sexually abused and whether a particular adult is actually the perpetrator. Often they have struggled in isolation from each other's disciplines. An accurate assessment must be the first step in the healing process, but barriers often prevent such an assessment. Complications imposed by professionals include a limited theoretical framework, a lack of consensus on guidelines and protocols, a prerequisite or overreliance on a verbal disclosure by the child, the partisanship of experts, and incomplete records. The practical consequences of these complicating factors are devastating. Current efforts should be critique and improved based on seven criteria, including the use of a clearly articulated theoretical framework, an assessment process that is open to all outcomes, and a method of recording and preserving all assessment data for review and further examination. 47 references (Author abstract modified)