Abstract
Recent research indicates that children with autism are at increased risk of maltreatment. We examined news media reports on homicide incidents involving children with autism as victims in the United States between 2000 and 2019. Of the 52 victims studied, 47 (90.4%) were male. Age of victims ranged from 2 to 20years (mean = 10.4 ± 5.3years). Parents and other caregivers accounted for 63.5% and 13.5% of the perpetrators, respectively. The leading injury mechanism was gunshot wounds (23.1%), followed by drowning (19.2%), and suffocation, strangulation, or asphyxiation (19.2%). The most commonly cited contributing factor (47.1%) was overwhelming stress from caring for the autistic child. These results underscore the importance of supporting services for caregivers of children with autism.
Highlights
The reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased markedly in the past two decades and children with autism are at increased risk of unintentional injury and self-inflicted injury
Of cases reported in news media, homicide victims in children with ASD are predominantly male
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability characterized by deficits in social interaction and social communication, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors (Autism Speaks 2020)
Summary
Our objective was to examine the characteristics of homicide incidents involving children with ASD as victims reported in US news media. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics of homicide incidents involving children with ASD as victims reported in US news media from 2000–2019
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