Abstract

Sexual victimization is a major societal issue that has unlimited short-term and long-term consequences on an individual’s mental, emotional, physical, psychological, and reproductive health. The present study aimed to identify the factors contributing to sexual assault among children with autism, including autism spectrum-related, lack of sexual education-related, and perpetrator-related factors. This cross-sectional study used an online self-administered questionnaire involving autism specialists in Jordan to measure the reasons for sexual assault. We included seventy-seven participants, of which 45 percent were males, and 55 percent were females. Overall, all reasons in the three dimensions had high levels (Mean: 3.29 ± 0.31). Characteristics of a sex offender and autism traits were high-degree reasons with means of 3.43 ± 0.36 and 3.46 ± 0.33, respectively. The study identifies autism traits, particularly difficulty in recognizing facial expressions indicating deceitful intentions of abusers, as a key factor making individuals with autism vulnerable to sexual assault. It highlights the role of abusers’ beliefs, specifically viewing children with autism as worthless, and the lack of sex education also some important factors. The study found no significant gender differences among participants in relation to these factors. Most causes of sexual assault in children with autism are severe, indicating severe risks of sexual assault for children with autism in Jordan. The new research may assist healthcare professionals, instructors, practitioners, and educators in better understanding how to teach persons with autism to detect and recognize dangerous and frightening circumstances and to seek help promptly. This research would also aid in creating severe sanctions for assaulters and motivate families and victims to file lawsuits against sex offenders.