Commentary on Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Family Law Practice

This commentary discusses and expands upon Mosten and Traumm's extraordinary work on interdisciplinary teams. Focusing on the continuum between independence and interdependence in team formation, we explore the benefits of team members' shared responsibility and highlight potential challenges. We emphasize that regardless of where a team may fall on the continuum, establishing and adhering to a strong structure results in increased practitioner satisfaction and better client outcomes. This commentary identifies five best practices that promote highly functioning teams and urges family law practitioners to seek more advanced interdisciplinary team training opportunities.     

A Proposed Scheme for Classifying Pediatric Rib Head Fractures Using Case Examples

Pediatric rib head fractures are typically described as “posterior” or “costovertebral,” terms lacking specificity. To resolve this issue, a scheme was developed to describe the location of rib head fractures observed in a pediatric forensic population. The scheme uses three anatomical landmarks, terminus (tip), tubercle, and costovertebral articular surface to divide the rib head into two subregions, costovertebral and costotransverse. Examples of five cases of infants with rib head fractures are presented using this scheme. Forty‐eight rib head fractures were observed in these infants with the following frequencies: 56% (three infants) at the terminus; 21% (three infants) in the costovertebral subregion; 21% (one infant) at the costovertebral articular facet; and 2% (one infant) in the costotransverse subregion. Due to the small number of cases assessed, statistical analyses could not be performed; however, the data demonstrate the variation in distribution of pediatric rib head fractures.     

Microscopic Saw Mark Analysis: An Empirical Approach

Microscopic saw mark analysis is a well published and generally accepted qualitative analytical method. However, little research has focused on identifying and mitigating potential sources of error associated with the method. The presented study proposes the use of classification trees and random forest classifiers as an optimal, statistically sound approach to mitigate the potential for error of variability and outcome error in microscopic saw mark analysis. The statistical model was applied to 58 experimental saw marks created with four types of saws. The saw marks were made in fresh human femurs obtained through anatomical gift and were analyzed using a Keyence digital microscope. The statistical approach weighed the variables based on discriminatory value and produced decision trees with an associated outcome error rate of 8.62–17.82%.     

Age of conduct disorder onset and comorbid anxiety and depression

The relationship between age of onset for conduct disorder (CD) and the externalizing disorder attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well researched. However, little is known about associations between age of CD onset and comorbid internalizing disorders. This study examined whether age of CD onset significantly predicted the presence of a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder in a community-based sample of adolescents (n = 147). Results showed each one-year increase in age of CD onset was significantly associated with increased probability of comorbid depression, but not significantly associated with the probability of a comorbid anxiety disorder. Analyses were replicated in subsamples of youth with (n = 77) and without (n = 70) ADHD. The significant positive relationship between age of CD onset and comorbid depression held in youth with ADHD only, while a negative relationship with anxiety emerged as significant in youth without ADHD.