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. 2018 Jan;48(1):225-238.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3285-z.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and School Bullying: Who is the Victim? Who is the Perpetrator?

Soonjo Hwang  1 , Young Shin Kim  2   3 , Yun-Joo Koh  4 , Bennett L Leventhal  5   6
Affiliations

Autism Spectrum Disorder and School Bullying: Who is the Victim? Who is the Perpetrator?

Soonjo Hwang et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

While a growing number of studies indicate associations between experiences of bullying and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is not clear what roles comorbid behavioral problems may play. We investigated the experiences of children with ASD as victims and/or perpetrators of bullying. Children with ASD epidemiologically ascertained participated in a cross-sectional study. Although children with ASD showed significantly increased risk for bullying involvement compared to community children, after controlling for comorbid psychopathology and other demographic factors, increased risks for being perpetrators or victim-perpetrators disappeared while risk for being bullied/teased continued to be significantly elevated. This finding will help guide medical, educational and community personnel to effectively identify children with ASD at risk for school bullying and develop interventions.

Keywords: Autism diagnostic observation scale and autism diagnostic interview; Autism spectrum disorder; Behavior assessment system for children; Comorbid psychopathology; DSM-5; School bullying.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Case Identification Process for ASD and Community Comparison Group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of bullying involvement (%) by type and frequency between children with ASD and community children1 1: Difference in percentage in the involvement of bullying, and linear trends in the involvement of bullying with increased frequency between children with ASD and community comparison group were statistically significant (all at p-value <0.01 except linear trend for name calling at p-value = 0.028) for all types of perpetrating behaviors and victimization.
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