Understanding And Responding To
The Sexual Behavior Of Children
The Range of Sexual Behavior of Children Under Age 12
Normal Range
- Genital or Reproduction conversations with peer or similar age siblings
- Show me yours/I'll show you mine with peers
- Playing 'doctor"
- Occasional masturbation without penetration
- Imitating seduction (i.e., kissing, flirting)
- Dirty words or jokes within cultural or peer group norm
Yellow Flags
- Preoccupation with sexual themes (especially sexually aggressive)
- Attempting to expose others genitals (i.e., pulling other's skirt up or pants down)
- Sexually explicit conversation with peers
- Sexual graffiti (esp. chronic or impacting individuals)
- Sexual innuendo/teasing/embarrassment of others
- Precocious sexual knowledge
- Single occurrences of peeping/exposing/obscenities/pornographic interest/frottage
- Preoccupation with masturbation
- Mutual masturbation/group masturbation [fn1]
- simulating foreplay with dolls or peers with clothing on (i.e., petting, french kissing)
Red Flags
- Sexually explicit conversations with significant age difference
- Touching genitals of others
- Degradation/humiliation of self or others with sexual themes
- Inducing fear/threats of force
- Sexually explicit proposals/threats including written notes
- Repeated of chronic peeping/exposing/obscenities/pornographic interests/frottage
- Compulsive masturbation/task interruption to masturbate
- Masturbation which includes vaginal or anal penetration
- Simulating intercourse with dolls, peers, animals with clothing on (i.e., humping)
STOP: No Question
- Oral, vaginal, anal penetration of dolls [fn2], children, animals
- Forced exposure of other's genitals[fn3]
- Simulating intercourse with peers with clothing off
- Any genital injury or bleeding not explained by accidental cause
Footnotes
[fn1] - Although mutual or group masturbation is not uncommon among children, the interaction must be evaluated
[fn2] - We need to be concerned about behavior with dolls which may be rehearsals for behavior with peers.
[fn3] - Although restraining an individual in order to pull down pants or expose breasts may occur in the context of hazing among peers, it is clearly abusive
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Related document: Sexual Behavior of Children - Adolescents
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