Over the past decade, there have been widespread efforts to raise awareness about maltreatment of children. Pediatric providers have received education about factors that make a child more vulnerable to being abused and neglected. The purpose of this clinical report is to ensure that children with disabilities are recognized as a population at increased risk for maltreatment. This report updates the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report "Maltreatment of Children With Disabilities." Since 2007, new information has expanded our understanding of the incidence of abuse in this vulnerable population. There is now information about which children with disabilities are at greatest risk for maltreatment because not all disabling conditions confer the same risks of abuse or neglect. This updated report will serve as a resource for pediatricians and others who care for children with disabilities and offers guidance on risks for subpopulations of children with disabilities who are at particularly high risk of abuse and neglect. The report will also discuss ways in which the medical home can aid in early identification and intervene when abuse and neglect are suspected. It will also describe community resources and preventive strategies that may reduce the risk of abuse and neglect.

Participating pediatricians are making gains, yet effort is needed, to incorporate the essential steps into practice for transitioning youth with special health care needs. Recognition of barriers, use of electronic tools, and clarifying subspecialist's approach, may improve compliance with transition recommendations.

The effects of perceived controllability of rape victimization among potential rape victims were investigated in three studies. In a true experiment, perceived controllability of rape was manipulated through a pamphlet rating paradigm (N= 60). Women who saw materials that presented rape as an uncontrollable event reported greater anxiety on the street (p <.001) and in their homes (p <.05), and greater intention to engage in precautionary behaviors (p <.001) than women who read materials that presented rape as somewhat more controllable. In a quasi‐experiment, women (N= 58) were classified as viewing rape as controllable or uncontrollable based on their descriptions of the “typical rape”. Women who viewed rape as an uncontrollable event reported higher risk of rape (p <.05) and unlike respondents in Study 1, reported less use of precautionary behaviors on the street (p <.05) than women who viewed rape as a somewhat controllable event. In Study 3, women (N= 40) were classified as perceiving high or low controllability based on pre‐test responses. As in Study 2, women who reported lower control perceptions also reported more fear and less precautionary behavior. As predicted, the high control women reported significantly higher levels of fear after being exposed to the low control message used in Study 1. These women, however, did not increase their intended self‐protective behavior. These results are discussed in terms of reactance and learned helplessness.