Autistic people are several times more likely to be the victims of crimes, including child abuse, rape, and murder.
There are some stats from a survey here, but they don't compare them to the general-public numbers, so I'm not sure exactly what the stats are supposed to mean; but maybe somebody here knows the general numbers and can compare?
http://www.autism-society.org/site/DocS ... ocID=10901Quote:
Most people with disabilities
will experience some form of sexual assault or abuse during their lifetime
(Marge, 2003). The risk of victimization varies according to disability; however,
it is unknown how many adults on the autism spectrum are victims of
sexual abuse, sexual assault, or domestic violence. There are currently no
research studies specific to adults with ASD and there are no data available
to document presumed high rates of abuse against men and boys with
disabilities (Petersilia et. al., 2001). A survey of over 1,500 individuals on the
autism spectrum and their caregivers by the Autism Society of America
found that of the 35% who had been the victim of a crime, 17% reported
physical abuse or assault, 13% reported being the victim of sexual abuse,
9% reported property crimes, 8% reported sexual assault, and 8%
reported neglect; 3% reported being coerced to commit or participate in
a crime (ASA, 2007). A study on child abuse and autism (Mandell, et. al.,
2005) found that caregivers reported that 18.5% of children with ASD had
been physically abused and 16.6% had been sexually abused. Property
crimes against individuals with ASD may be prevalent in part due to the
inability of many individuals on the autism spectrum to read social cues
or understand social norms that may protect them from criminals seeking
financial gain. Some individuals with ASD may have a guardian handling
their finances, but if there is little or no monitoring and oversight, financial
exploitation can easily take place.
Despite documented high rates of crime victimization against individuals
with disabilities, police follow-up, prosecution, and convictions of
perpetrators remain low. A review of Massachusetts cases found that
only 5% of crimes against people with disabilities resulted in a conviction
(Mishra, 2001). If convicted, sentences for crimes against individuals
with developmental disabilities are typically lighter, particularly for sexual
assault convictions.
This is terrifying and I fear for my daughter. I want her to be savvy to protect herself but the necessary level of protective savviness seems out of her reach. Once we were in the city and I was sitting on a bench as she looked at signs a few feet away from me. Since there were a few feet between us it may not have been apparent that I was with her and watching her. Some guy came up to her while she was looking at a sign and leaned down and started whispering to her. I leaped off the bench and charged at him like an enraged bull and he backed off and said "I just thought she was lost. I'm not doing anything. Nothing." and he hurriedly left. It scared me to see ger innocently turn up to him instead of turning and running as I thought I'd taught her to do. Maybe she thought she was safe because I was there? In any case, I can all too easily see her being the victim of assault just because she doesn't see it coming. It's scary.
20 Oct 2009, 6:12 am
