Autism Spectrum Disorder and School Bullying: Who is the Victim? Who is the Perpetrator?

The study compared children with autism spectrum disorder and community children at assessment, so it cannot show which came first. Victimization was identified from one parent-report item about complaining of being teased, while perpetration used several items, so the measures were not equally detailed. Many children did not return parent questionnaires, and non-participation by grade ranged from 28% to 46%, so unmeasured differences could affect results. Community children were not divided by intellectual disability because cognitive data were not available, so comparisons with autism subgroups were incomplete. Comorbid behavioral problems were measured by parent questionnaire rather than clinical diagnosis, so classification could be inaccurate. The social communication disorder group had only 8 children, and the autism with intellectual disability group had 15 children, so those subgroup results were limited. The sample was from regular elementary schools in a South Korean suburb, so it may not apply to adolescents, special education settings, or other countries.

Do not conclude that autism spectrum disorder itself makes children bullies. The higher odds of perpetrating behaviors disappeared after hyperactivity, attention problems, aggression, and conduct problems were considered, and autism spectrum disorder was associated with lower odds for some perpetrating behaviors.