Peer Bullying Experienced by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive descriptive analysis by examining the quantitative studies on peer bullying for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in terms of demographic characteristics, methodological characteristics and results related variables. Accordingly, 44 studies were obtained in the first search in Eric, ProQuest, Scopus, ScienceDirect, EbscoHOST, Google Scholar databases by typing the determined keywords. As regards to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 13 articles were published between 2011 and 2021 in the research. The results of the research indicate that children with ASD are bullied more than their other peers, that their bullying is caused by the diagnostic characteristics of these children, and that this experience affects the psychosocial states of children (eg, anxiety, depression). It is expected that the findings obtained from the research will guide researchers and practitioners who will work on peer bullying.