Opinion ID: 1671078
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Abuse Syndrome Expert

Text: The state offered testimony of Mary McKinney as expert testimony on the child abuse syndrome. Her qualifications included a college degree in special education, a master's degree in school psychology, and three and a half years experience as a school counsellor during which she had been involved in twenty-five to fifty child abuse cases. The appellant objected that the witness had no knowledge of the facts in the case before the court and thus there was no foundation for her to give expert testimony. The appellant cites, e.g., Morton v. Wiley Grain and Chemical Co., 271 Ark. 319, 609 S.W.2d 322 (1980), where we held it was not improper to limit cross examination when the testimony sought of the expert was directed to facts not in issue. The important distinction here is that by the time Mary McKinney testified there was strong evidence of record that a child abuse case was before the court and evidence of the behavior of abused children generally was relevant to explain the conduct of the alleged victims in this case including their unwillingness to discuss it until after their father and mother separated. As to her qualifications to testify, we need only say it was apparent that Ms. McKinney's education and experience with respect to child abuse were greater than those of ordinary persons, Dildine v. Clark Equipment Co., 282 Ark. 130, 666 S.W.2d 692 (1984), and her testimony about child abuse in general was thus admissible. See U.R.E. 702.