A new medical specialty emerges: child abuse pediatrics.

A physican can now study a concentrated curriculum and become board-certified in child abuse.

Unfortunately, there is much need for forensic experts in physical and sexual abuse of children.

Could the burn (or other inury) have been an accident?

Was the child sexually abused?

Forensic child abuse pediatrics holds the answers to these and many other equally disturbing questions.

Many suspected cases of child abuse are not borne out by forensics. They are likely either accidents or injuries resulting from unusual medical conditions.

These specialists will hold the keys to criminal prosecutions, removal of children from their homes, and child custody and timesharing decisions.

Read more in this New York Times article: The Marks of Childhood or the Marks of Abuse?