Nearly 50% of Teens With Autism Bullied at School

A new study conducted by researchers at University of California, Berkley has found that nearly half of the teenagers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have to deal with bullies at school. Researchers, led by Paul Sterzing analyzed data from a previous survey conducted in 2001 in which over 920 parents participated. The researchers found that more than 46 percent of parents of autistic children revealed that their kids were bullied at school, around 15 percent believed that their children themselves were bullies while 9 percent said that their children were both victims and bullies. The study has been published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Sterzing said that bullying of autistic children will continue to increase as they spend more time in general education classrooms and suggested that parents should talk with teachers to make sure that proper measures are taken to make their children feel settled in the classrooms.

“The rate of bullying victimization among adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder is alarmingly high, indicating a profound public health problem in the United States. Bullying victimization may increase as their child spends more time in a general education classroom”, he said.

Source-Medindia