Forensic Medical Evaluation of Children Seeking Asylum: A Guide for Pediatricians

• Published in: Pediatric annals Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. e215 - e221
• Main Authors: Gartland, Matthew G, Ijadi-Maghsoodi, Roya, Giri, Minal, Messmer, Sarah, Peeler, Katherine, Barkoudah, Ashley, Shah, Sural
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Adolescent; Attorneys; Caregivers; Child; Child Abuse - diagnosis; Child Abuse - psychology; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Citizenship; Developmental Stages; Evaluators; Forensic Medicine - methods; Forensic Medicine - standards; Guardians; Humans; Immigration; Injuries; Lawyers; Medical Evaluation; Medical History Taking - methods; Medical History Taking - standards; Medical Services; Mental disorders; Mental health; Negative Attitudes; Parents; Pediatrics; Pediatrics - methods; Pediatrics - standards; Persuasive Discourse; Physical Examination - methods; Physical Examination - standards; Physical Examinations; Physical Health; Political asylum; Primary Health Care - methods; Primary Health Care - standards; Protective Factors; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological Evaluation; Refugees - legislation & jurisprudence; Refugees - psychology; Resilience, Psychological; Risk Factors; Sexual orientation discrimination; Social History; Stress Disorders, Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Traumatic - psychology; Trauma; United States; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0090-4481; 1938-2359; 1938-2359
• DOI: 10.3928/19382359-20200421-01

Applications for asylum in the United States have increased significantly in the past decade, including those by children fleeing persecution. Pediatricians may serve as a resource for children seeking asylum by participating in specialized training and performing forensic medical evaluations for use in the legal process. A forensic medical evaluation comprises an interview to elicit a narrative of reported abuse, a psychological assessment, and/or a medical assessment. Evaluators document an impression of the consistency of medical and psychological findings with the trauma, which forms the legal basis for a child's asylum claim. This article provides guidance to pediatrician evaluators with an emphasis on an age- and development-specific approach to a forensic medical evaluation of children seeking asylum. Collaboration with primary care pediatricians and community partners about asylum evaluations is important to building support for immigrant children who have experienced trauma. [Pediatr Ann. 2020;49(5):e215-e221.].