Maltreatment Risk Among Children With Disabilities

Maclean, Miriam; Sims, Scott; Bower, Carol; Leonard, Helen; Stanley, Fiona; O’Donnell, Melissa

doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1817

Cited by 112 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Use of well‐established rigorous ADDM methodology that objectively identified a high number of children with ASD, and linkage with state‐wide child protective service records, may have allowed for identification of increased risk associated with ASD in contrast to prior work (e.g. Maclean et al., ; Spencer et al., ). Drawing on transactional‐ecological models of maltreatment risk and developmental psychopathology theory (Cicchetti & Valentino, ), children with ASD are likely at elevated maltreatment risk due to a complex interplay of individual (social difficulties, communication deficits, difficult behaviors), parental (family stress) and environmental (cultural attitudes, increased interactions with multiple service systems) factors (Algood, Hong, Gourdine, & Williams, ; Kerns et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Children with disabilities are at heightened risk for maltreatment (Maclean et al., ; Spencer et al., ; Sullivan & Knutson, ), a significant public health problem referring to experiences of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional) and/or neglect that are associated with deleterious outcomes across the lifespan (Cicchetti & Valentino, ). However, less is known regarding the prevalence and characteristics of maltreatment among specific developmental disability populations, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Child disability status has been robustly associated with increased rates of maltreatment within the United States and internationally (e.g. Maclean et al., ; Spencer et al., ; Sullivan & Knutson, ). While ID has consistently been associated with heightened maltreatment risk (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, research linking child services administrative data with Medicaid claims have also found that children with ASD are at elevated risk for foster care involvement (Cidav, Xie, & Mandell, ). However, some population‐level studies have failed to find that children with ASD are at elevated risk for maltreatment compared to population controls (Maclean et al., ; Spencer et al., ; Sullivan & Knutson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Child maltreatment in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: results from a population‐based sample

McDonnell

Boan

Bradley

et al. 2018

Child Psychology Psychiatry

157

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Children with developmental disabilities are at heightened risk for maltreatment. However, little is known regarding the prevalence of maltreatment among specific groups, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID). Information about maltreatment in these groups can aid in the development of supports and prevention strategies for vulnerable children and their families. Methods Using record linkage between the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) network, this study compares the prevalence and characteristics of maltreatment among children with ASD‐only (n = 316), ASD and comorbid ID (ASD+ID; n = 291), ID‐only (n = 1,280), and controls (n = 3,101). Behavioral correlates of maltreatment are examined. Results Controlling for demographic factors, this study found significantly higher odds of reported and substantiated maltreatment among children with ASD‐only (odds ratio = 1.86 for reported, 1.51 for substantiated), ASD+ID (odds ratio = 2.35 for reported, 1.97 for substantiated), and ID‐only (odds ratio = 2.45 for reported, 2.49 for substantiated) relative to a population control group, with large effects. In particular, children with ASD+ID and ID‐only were between two and three times more likely to experience maltreatment. All groups were more likely to experience physical neglect, and children in the ASD+ID and ID‐only groups were more likely to experience all forms of abuse. Children in the ASD‐only group were more likely to experience physical abuse. Maltreated children in the ASD‐only and ID‐only groups experienced more cases of physical abuse and neglect, and were victimized by more perpetrators compared to other maltreated youth. Maltreatment was associated with higher likelihood of aggression, hyperactivity, and tantrums for children with ASD. Conclusions Children with ASD and/or ID are at heightened risk for maltreatment. Empirically‐supported assessment and intervention approaches for identifying and addressing traumatic stress related to maltreatment in ASD are urgently needed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Child maltreatment in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: results from a population‐based sample

McDonnell

Boan

Bradley

et al. 2018

Child Psychology Psychiatry

157

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is a lack of research which try to disentangle the empirical background of persistent violent and criminal behavior among individuals with ASD in the general population (e.g. 3,4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Few Differences in the Externalizing and Criminal History of Young Violent Offenders With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are known to be associated with an increased risk of aggression and challenging behavior. In this study, we have mapped the externalizing history of a nationally representative cohort of young violent offenders with ASD, compared with offenders without ASD. Two hundred and sixty-nine violent offenders were assessed for prevalence of ASD, and participated in a thorough assessment of previous externalizing problems and criminal history. Twenty-six offenders met consensus clinical DSM-IV criteria for ASD and they were compared to offenders without ASD from the same cohort. Overall, we found a very high prevalence of externalizing and antisocial behaviors in the history of these offenders and there were few differences between the groups. Placements in foster homes were overrepresented in the ASD group and the ASD-offenders had significantly more often been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder (i.e. ASD or ADHD) by a clinician before the study. At index conviction, ASD offenders were overrepresented in sex crimes with a child victim. Though offenders without ASD had more previous convictions, in particular drug crimes, we found no difference in terms of total number of prosecuted crimes. Substance use disorders were more common among offenders without ASD. The ASD offenders scored higher compared to the non-ASD offenders on the Affective facet of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) but there were no differences in terms of total PCL-R scores. Our results provide important knowledge of the developmental history of offenders with ASD. Though this is a small and atypical phenotype it poses significant challenges to the criminal justice system and we need to understand more of it to be able to prevent these individuals from committing crimes but also to provide a fair judicial treatment, to assess exculpatory factors and improve our forensic treatment models.

show abstract

Child protection services for children with special healthcare needs: A population record linkage study

Hindmarsh

Laurens

Katz

et al. 2020

Aust J Social Issues

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children with disabilities are known to have high rates of contact with child protection services. However, little is known about child protection contacts for a broader group of children with special healthcare needs (SHCN; i.e., special needs or other impairments of concern that affect learning). This study examined the characteristics of contact with child protection services (prior to the age of 6 years) for children with SHCN identified at school entry using the 2009 Australian Early Development Census, using administrative data from more than 65,000 children in the New South Wales Child Development Study. Child protection contacts prior to age 6 years were more prevalent among children with SHCN compared with those without; in particular, children with SHCN had higher odds of a history of exposure to neglect and physical abuse, and higher odds of being placed in out‐of‐home care, compared with their typically developing peers. Understanding the characteristics of child protection contacts among children with SHCN, with consideration of factors that may influence their patterns of contact with these and other human services agencies, will inform the development of appropriate social policy initiatives to fulfil Australia’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

show abstract

Maltreatment Risk Among Children With Disabilities

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities are at increased risk of child maltreatment; however, there is a gap in the evidence about whether all disabilities are at equal risk and whether risk factors vary according to the type of disability.

Cited by 112 publications

References 18 publications

Child maltreatment in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: results from a population‐based sample

Child maltreatment in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: results from a population‐based sample

Few Differences in the Externalizing and Criminal History of Young Violent Offenders With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Child protection services for children with special healthcare needs: A population record linkage study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About