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Autism as defined by the Autism Society Of America (ASA) is "a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills."

A recent study published online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine states that autistic children make easier targets for school bullies and almost half of the adolescents involved in their study were victims of bullying during their childhood.

"Many of the defining characteristics of autism are the ones that put them at greatest risk of bullying," Dr. Catherine Bradshaw, deputy director of the Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence and an expert on bullying at Johns Hopkins University, told the New York Times.

The study involved the survey of 920 parents and discovered that 46.3 percent of adolescents with an ASD had been victimized by bullying. Compared to the national average of 10.6 percent of kids, the number was "substantially higher."

The researchers also suggested that "classrooms should increase social integration of adolescents with ASD and help students who don't have ASD understand, interact and empathize with kids who have ASD and other developmental disorders."

"Future interventions should incorporate content that addresses the core deficits of adolescents with an ASD, which limits their verbal ability to report bullying incidents," the authors commented. "Schools should incorporate strategies that address conversational difficulties and the unique challenges of those with comorbid conditions."

"This study confirms what we know," Dr. Jeffrey Brosco, professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Miami and associate director of the school's Mailman Center for Child Development, said to HealthDay. "It's clear that kids with disabilities are much more likely to be victims of bullying," he said. "We need to figure out better ways to prevent this -- for all children."