Abuse Of children with autism : risk of abuse and prevention

Abstract EN

Objective : To assess and find the prevalence of abuse in autistic children and find solutions.

Methods : An epidemiological study was conducted using a psychiatric interview based on the DSM-V to assess symptoms of autism in children 5-14 years old.

The interview was conducted with all children who had been referred to a psychiatric clinic from pediatric, psychosocial, and family medicine clinics because of abnormal psychological behavior, including signs of abuse, and data were collected between December 24, 2016, and December 27, 2017.

Results: In total, 196 children (131 male’s (66.84%) and 65 female’s (33.16 %)) were referred to the psychiatry clinic with abnormal behavior or signs of abuse.

They were divided into two major groups: Group 1 (5-9 years) included 84 children (42.86 %), and Group 2 (10-14 years) included 112 children (57.14 %).

Abuse was reported among 173 (88.27 %) of the referred children, consisting of 76 (43.93 %) in Group 1, and 97 (56.07 %) in Group 2; 64.16% were males and 35.84% were females.

Of the autistic children, 80 (46.2 %) were found to have physical signs of abuse, and of these: 52 (75 %) were found to have emotional disturbance; 36 were males (69.23 %).

Forty-two (80.77 %) of these children were 5-9 years old.

Conclusion : Abuse is common in children with autism and occurs in many forms.

Clinicians need an understanding of the nature of abuse and mitigation strategies.

Basic strategies for assessment and management are needed in guideline protocols, which need to be informed by the challenges encountered by autistic individuals and their caregivers.