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Several studies have reported that developmentally disordered children are vulnerable to sexual victimization. To learn more, researchers analyzed Swedish population-level, prospective data on 4500 twins.
Parents reported children's symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at ages 9 or 12 years. Twins self-reported sexual victimization (sexual touching or coercive sex) at age 18. Sexual victimization occurred twice as frequently in females with ADHD as in those without these diagnoses and three times more often in those with ASD. A general neurodevelopmental factor that encompassed autistic, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors predicted sexual abuse in both sexes. Risks were doubled in m…