Reflex anal dilatation (RAD) is a controversial and now largely discredited technique which at one time was widely used as an indicator of child sexual abuse. Its use led to the Cleveland child abuse scandal where misdiagnosis of widespread abuse was made, with highly unfortunate results. The term child sexual abuse (CSA) denotes sex between prepubescent minors and adults. ...

RAD itself involves parting the buttocks of the patient and observing the anus over a period of about thirty seconds to a minute. The anus will reflexively close, then relax. Gradually the outer and inner sphincters will relax, which in many people will cause the anus to gape open. This effect occurs in some people but not others. Human buttocks. ... Male Anatomy In anatomy, the anus (from Latin ānus ring, anus) is the external opening of the rectum. ... From late Latin sphincter, from Greek sphinkter, band, contractile muscle, from sphingein, to bind tight. ...

RAD was heralded as a new diagnostic technique for detecting anal sexual abuse in children, as studies appeared to indicate that the gaping effect only occurred where abuse had taken place. Non-abused children did not exhibit the gaping effect, according to studies. Unfortunately, later studies found these results to be highly unreliable, but not before its veracity as a technique was assumed by some examining doctors. Some of these doctors were called upon as expert witnesses in a number of sexual abuse trials, and it is this that led to the Cleveland scandal. An expert witness is a witness, who by virtue of education, or profession, or experience, is believed to have special knowledge of his subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon his opinion. ...

External links

• Paper from the IPT Journal about RAD and other techniques