A Map of the World - Jane Hamilton [185]
“Isn’t it true,” Rafferty persisted, “that the Board of the American Psychological Association has determined that these dolls cannot be considered standardized assessment tools?”
She pushed her hair behind her ears with both hands before she began to answer. “There are indeed experts who have criticized the dolls as inaccurate tools that lead to false conclusions of child sexual abuse. However, the statement written last year by the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, judged that doll-centered assessments may be the best practical solutions in the hands of competent psychologists and social workers.”
“How many articles have you written for professional or scientific journals?”
“None.”
“Not even one, in any journal, anywhere?”
“That’s right. While some of my co-workers spend their careers writing for publications, my focus has been on helping and evaluating people.”
“You are not a medical doctor, is that correct?”
“As I told the court, I have a masters in social work.”
“Have you had graduate-level courses in memory and perception?”
“I’ve not had formal courses on those subjects, Mr. Rafferty, but every social worker is required to take psychology courses, classes which stress the fundamental role those factors play in people’s lives.”
“Have you ever misdiagnosed a client, Miss Flint?”
“A medical doctor can look at an X ray and be sure that the diagnosis is a broken arm. Evaluating people for emotional trauma does not always produce a neat diagnosis.”
“I understand that. Have you ever had a client, a child, who you thought had been sexually abused and then later recanted?”
“Yes, I have, Mr. Rafferty.”
“Some of your colleagues believed that you had so aggressively questioned the girl she confessed the abuse in order to placate you.”
“Objection,” Susan Dirks called.
“Could you give us a profile,” Rafferty later asked, “of a character-disturbed or unattached child that a social worker such as yourself would find in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and in the book called, High Risk, Children Without a Conscience?”
“I’m not familiar with that second publication. I don’t know the comprehensive list by heart, Mr. Rafferty, but some of the symptoms an unattached child might exhibit are self-destructive behaviors, ah, the inability to give and receive affection, various types of learning disorders.”
“Isn’t also included in that list a particular pathological type of lying—‘primary process lying,’ I believe it is called.”
“Possibly.”
“As well as abnormalities in eye contact, cruelty to others, a lack of long-term friends?”
“I haven’t recently studied the list in depth.”
“To refresh your memory, manipulative behaviors, phoniness, superficial attractiveness, and friendliness with strangers, are also included as symptoms.”
“Again, I haven’t studied the list lately.”
“Would you like to review it?”
She looked over the sheet he handed to her.
“Did it cross your mind, as you examined Robbie, that he had some of those characteristics I just mentioned, that he was manipulating you and his mother?”
“No, it did not, Mr. Rafferty.”
“Did it ever occur to you that he might have the profile of the character-disturbed child.”
“Most definitely not.”
“Did you interview Robbie’s mother?”
“No.”
“Did you not think it might be important to interview the child’s primary caretaker?”
“In a case where a child reveals abuse the child is our focus.”
“Keep your chin up,” Rafferty said during the break. “We’re doing great.” He was whacking his letter opener against his pant leg. “Heard anything from the girls over in the jail?” He was someone who didn’t often make small talk or show signs of nervousness. Perhaps Myra Flint had not been as pliant as he’d hoped. I reached over and touched his hand, to still him. “Keep your chin up, Paul,” I said.
Howard