Perceptions of Bullying Among Youth with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: In the first national study examining bullying in the United States post Columbine, Nansel and her colleagues (2001) found that 17% of middle- and high-school students experience moderate to frequent victimization. Until recently, bullying research has predominantly focused on neurotypical students in general education settings; however, emphasis on individuals with special needs has begun to increase. Previous literature suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are at greater risk for both traditional and cyber bullying victimization and perpetration than their typically developing peers (Little, 2002). Additionally, researchers claim that youth with ASD may struggle to comprehend bullying dynamics due to deficits in their social and communication skills. Specifically, individuals with ASD often display deficits in Theory of Mind, or the “ability to attribute mental states to themselves and others in order to explain and predict behavior,” which may affect their ability to navigate and comprehend social interactions (Colle, Baron- Cohen, & Hill, 2007, p. 716).  

Objectives:   To date, only one study has investigated perceptions of bullying among youth with ASD (Van Roekel et al., 2010).  The present study aimed to further develop an understanding of bullying experiences among youth with ASD based on parent and child online surveys and semi-structured interviews.

Methods:    Children with and without ASD answered questions related to past traditional and cyber bullying experiences, communication with their parents, perceptions of bullying scenarios, and Internet/cellular phone use and safety. Parents of these youth participants were asked similar questions about their children’s experiences. As another measure to assess perceptions of what constitutes bullying, children identified six images (4 bullying, 2 neutral) as either bullying or nonbullying (Saylor et al, 2012). 

Results:   Prevalence rates of victimization and perpetration were higher among youth with ASD in comparison to their peers without disabilities as reported in both parent and child interviews. Interviews with parents of children with ASD highlighted various deficits in their children’s social comprehension skills, and youth with ASD also noted difficulties in understanding bullying dynamics (e.g., incorrectly defining bullying, struggling to understand humor, failing to recognize others’ perspectives). Additionally, children with ASD did not perform as well as children without ASD in the ostracism picture identification task. In fact, two-thirds of the children with ASD incorrectly identified at least one of the six bullying/nonbullying scenarios while none of the children without ASD inaccurately labeled a picture.

Conclusions:  Without this ability to understand others’ behaviors and intentions, youth with ASD may misinterpret bullying dynamics in their everyday lives. These unique deficits in social understanding may explain why several youth with ASD failed to recognize their own experiences of victimization and perpetration.  Given that these youth may not possess the necessary skills to comprehend complex bullying dynamics, interventions to increase their social comprehension may help these individuals recognize and report bullying incidences in which they or their peers are involved.