2020 Volume 31 Issue 3 Pages 141-159
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a greater risk for physical abuse by their parents than children without ASD. This study reviews the previous research on parental cognitive factors based on social information processing for physical abuse in children with ASD. Three child factors were associated with these parental cognitive factors: behavior type, degree of the behavior issue, and disability existence and type. The hypothesis was that potential mechanisms for this abuse are that the epidemiological characteristics of ASD, atypical behavior patterns, and severe behavior issues may affect the parental cognitive factors. Furthermore, high-functioning children with ASD may be exposed to higher risk because their disorders are not easily perceived as a “disorder” and thus adequate expectations for or appraisals of the child's behaviors are often difficult. These difficulties may result from discrepancies between and among the child's total IQ, abilities within each cognitive domain, and behavioral adjustment; in addition, these patterns may differ among individuals. Implications for future research are also discussed.
