Sexual offending and autism spectrum disorders

Allely, CS; Creaby-Attwood, A

Abstract

Purpose
– Studies have found innate vulnerabilities which potentially may increase the risk of an individual with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) finding themselves involved with the criminal justice system as a result of being charged with a sexual offence. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the literature which has explored sexual offending in individuals with ASD.

Design/methodology/approach
– A systematic PRISMA review (PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was conducted using internet-based bibliographic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection and PsycARTICLES) in order to access studies which investigated to any degree the association between ASD and sexual offending.

Findings
– Only a small number of case reports (n=7) on sexual offending in individuals with ASD and a small number of prevalence studies (n=7) were identified.

Research limitations/implications
– Research is urgently required to identify the specific requirements and needs of sexual offenders with ASD in order to inform an appropriate treatment strategy for successful outcomes.

Originality/value
– Relatively few studies and reviews have investigated the area of ASD and sexual offending specifically.

Citation

Allely, C., & Creaby-Attwood, A. (2016). Sexual offending and autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 7(1), 35-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-09-2015-0029

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 29, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Mar 14, 2016
• Publication Date: Mar 14, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 24, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour
• Print ISSN: 2050-8824
• Publisher: Emerald
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 35-51
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-09-2015-0029
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-09-2015-0029
• Related Public URLs: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/jidob