Fifteen adolescents who had exhibited psychogenic disorders of vision in childhood were compared with a control group of adolescents who had experienced childhood visual dysfunction of organic origin. The principal modes of assessment were clinical interviews, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and self-report measures concerning specific personality traits. Adolescents who had previously presented with psychogenic disorder were more likely to (1) report having experienced school difficulties and the loss of a significant figure at the time of presentation, (2) rate their mothers as over-involved on the PBI and (3) report adjustment difficulties and obsessional personality traits in adolescence.

Thiseditorial describes theethical and systemic issues relevant to work with young sexual offenders against other children and outlines a proposed model for assessment. The need for assessment and treatment provi sions for children who sexually abuse other children has become increasingly apparent with greater understanding about the extent of sexual abuse carried out by juveniles (NCH, 1992). The picture from clinical work and from research studies suggests that the earliest possible intervention with abusing behaviour is needed to prevent escalation of the problem (Vizard, 1995). A semi-structured interview format has been designed to assist clinicians in the task of assessing risk, dangerousness and the treatabiity of juveniles who sexually abuse other children and young people. Active techniques have been developed to help overcome resistance and denial in young sexual offenders and to map patterns of sexual arousal. This model was developed from the psychiatric assessment of 80 young abusers between the age of 8â€"21years (mean age 14.7 years) who were referred to a specialist outpatient unit. Ethical issues Many professionals are reluctant to have labels such as ‘¿ sex offender', ‘¿ abuser' or ‘¿ perpetrator' attached to their child clients. Such important ethical considerations are closely connected to the major definitional issues surrounding work with young sexual abusers of children (Vizard et a!, 1995). The crux of the debate about definitional and ethical issues is whether it is the child who is being labelled or the behaviour. The behaviour itself may