Survey: Children With Autism Bullied Three Times More Often Than Siblings

(Education Week)
March 30, 2012

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND– [Excerpt from Inclusion Daily Express] The early results from a new survey find that 63 percent of children with autism spectrum disorders have been bullied at some point in their lives, three times as much as their brothers and sisters who don’t have the disorders.

The Interactive Autism Network’s survey also found that children with autism — many of whom have deficits in social development — are often intentionally “triggered” into meltdowns or aggressive outbursts by ill-intentioned peers.

IAN’s community scientific liaison, Dr. Connie Anderson, who worked on the survey of about 1,200 children, said the organization delved into the issue because it was a topic of conversation but hadn’t been studied in depth.

In a discussion about the results, Dr. Anderson said the survey revealed other details — and more questions to explore — about how bullying affects students with ASD.

Other studies have found that in general, children with disabilities are bullied more than other students.

Entire article:
Children With Autism More Likely to be Bullied
http://tinyurl.com/ide0330121a
Related:
New Data Show Children with Autism Bullied Three Times More Frequently than Their Unaffected Siblings (Kennedy Krieger Institute)
http://tinyurl.com/ide0330121b
HHS and Education launch new Stop Bullying website (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/03/20120330b.html