Are children with disabilities at higher risk of being abused?

Children with disabilities of any kind are not
identified in crime statistic systems in the U.S., making it
difficult to determine their risk for abuse (Sullivan, 2003). A
number of weak and small-scale studies found that children
with all types of disabilities are abused more often than
children without disabilities. Studies show that rates of abuse
among children with disabilities are variable, ranging from a
low of 22 percent to a high of 70 percent (National Research
Council, 2001). Although the studies found a wide range of
abuse prevalence, when taken as a whole, they provide
consistent evidence that there is a link between children with
disabilities and abuse (Sobsey, 1994).
One in three children with an identified disability for
which they receive special education services are victims of
some type of maltreatment (i.e., either neglect, physical abuse,
or sexual abuse) whereas one in 10 nondisabled children
experience abuse. Children with any type of disability are
3.44 times more likely to be a victim of some type of abuse
compared to children without disabilities. (Sullivan &
Knutson, 2000).

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