Assessing the Prevalence of Bullying Victimization in Autistic and ADHD Youth

Disabled youth, especially autistic and ADHD youth, are at increased risk for bullying victimization compared to their peers; however, prevalence estimates vary widely. Examining prevalence rates by assessment tool, timeframe, and bullying type may clarify this variability. Parents of 335 neurodiverse youth (i.e., autism+ADHD, n=113; autism, n=105; ADHD, n=38; or community comparison, n=79) completed clinical questionnaires and several measures of bullying victimization via an online survey. Bullying prevalence was higher for longer timeframe cutoffs and more consistent for multi-item measures, particularly for neurodivergent youth. Autism+ADHD youth were more likely to be bullied than community youth; internalizing and externalizing behaviors fully moderated this relation for general assessments and partially so for a disability-specific questionnaire. Autism+ADHD youth were uniquely more vulnerable to verbal, relational, and physical bullying than community youth. Bullying in autistic and ADHD youth is best understood using a disability-specific measure. Bullying types and timeframes should be delineated within assessment.