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What signs should parents look for in their children if they have been around a suspected molester?
According to Lisa Eckert, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Kosciusko County, the first and most important sign is a change in behavior.
"If the kid goes from happy to surly, or their grades go down all of a sudden, that's a red flag," she said.
Isolation is another sign of trouble if the child has been social before, she said.
Nightmares and bedwetting also can be areas of concern, as are vaginal infections in girls or sudden modesty in a previously carefree child.
Eckert and Becky Moreno, Warsaw victim advocate, also said parents should encourage children to follow their instincts about people.
"A lot of time kids will feel wrong about someone even if that person hasn't done anything or their actions themselves seem good," Moreno said.
"If children talk about a certain person and don't want to be around them, don't force them," Eckert said. "Kids are very intuitive and we are too, but we ignore it too often."
