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Bullying and Autism

Child in playground Many people with autism are bullied, either in the playground, at work or in the street.

For example, a project funded by Research Autism showed that 90% of children with autism reported being bullied, compared to 56% of other pupils.

The research also highlighted important behaviour patterns which might be linked to bullying and social isolation.

This included the fact that pupils with autism engaged in fewer social interactions during the school day (inside and outside of lessons) and often spent break and lunch times inside the school in quieter spaces supervised by adults.

Introduction

Child in playground Many people with autism are bullied, either in the playground, at work or in the street.

For example, a project funded by Research Autism showed that 90% of children with autism reported being bullied, compared to 56% of other pupils.

The research also highlighted important behaviour patterns which might be linked to bullying and social isolation.

This included the fact that pupils with autism engaged in fewer social interactions during the school day (inside and outside of lessons) and often spent break and lunch times inside the school in quieter spaces supervised by adults.

Additional Information

Our Work

Disorder or difference? Autistic experiences of school and beyond conference, 14 November 2012

Professor Neil Humphrey, University of Manchester. Bullying of children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD): what do we know and how can we help?

Bullying in school project

This project was designed to establish the amount and form of bullying of pupils with Asperger syndrome in UK secondary schools

Make a Donation

Cash If you found the information in this section helpful please Make a Donation to Research Autism now and help us continue our vital work.

Your money will enable us to carry out further research and provide more high quality information about interventions, treatments and therapies that may help people on the autism spectrum.

Thank you!

Related Additional Information


Reviews

p>This page provides details of some of the most significant scientific studies and reviews on bullying and autism which have been published in English-language, peer-reviewed journals. If you know of any other studies we should include please email info@researchautism.net with the details. Thank you.

If you know of any other publications we should list on this page please email info@informationautism.org

Please note that we are unable to supply publications unless we are listed as the publisher. However, if you are a UK resident you may be able to obtain them from your local public library, your college library or direct from the publisher.

Personal Accounts

Parent

'He cannot go out alone. He has no friends. He is jeered at in public sometimes.'

(Source: Parent, Barnard J. et al, 2011)

Child with Asperger syndrome

'The other children laugh at me sometimes. I don't know why they tease me - I hide under the desk, because there are lots of boxes and that is a good place to hide.'

(Source: 11-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome, Simmons, 2008)

Parent of a man with Asperger syndrome

'He went to work in a restaurant but was bullied by the other team members, I guess because he was different. He then got a job in a horticulture firm. He was bullied here as well. His particular work ethos made it so he didn't take tea-breaks and tried to get the work done as quickly as possible. I tried to explain that the others wouldn't appreciate that as he would be making them look bad but he didn't understand.'

(Source: Parent of a young man with Asperger syndrome, Simmons, 2008)

Reading

This section provides details of other publications on bullying and autism. If you know of any other publications we should include please email info@researchautism.net with the details. Thank you.

If you know of any other publications we should list on this page please email info@informationautism.org

Please note that we are unable to supply publications unless we are listed as the publisher. However, if you are a UK resident you may be able to obtain them from your local public library, your college library or direct from the publisher.

Related Reading


Updated
29 Feb 2016