Recent research published in Journal of Sex Research Our findings suggest that adults with autism experience certain types of sexual victimization at higher rates compared to undiagnosed adults. This finding indicates that these vulnerabilities may be related to specific sensory sensitivities rather than simply the official diagnostic label itself. This provides evidence that customized educational programs focused on consent and sensory control may help protect people with varying levels of autistic traits.
Scientists Brianna M. Akers and Zoe D. Peterson conducted this study to better understand how often adults with autism experience various forms of sexual harm. Akers is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and the Kinsey Institute. Peterson is a professor of applied psychology and director of the Kinsey Institute’s Sexual Assault Research Initiative.
“Across the world, many people report non-consensual sexual experiences (aka sexual victimization), and here in the United States it is no different,” Akers told SciPost. “I have long been interested in the status of ability, especially how this identity shapes the way a person moves through the world and how others perceive and treat that person.”
Akers noted that past research has shown that people with autism are disproportionately affected by nonconsensual sexual experiences. “Existing research suggests that people with autism are at increased risk of experiencing sexual victimization, but there are still gaps in our understanding of what specific types of sexual victimization are most common in this population,” Akers said. “We wanted to conduct this study in the hope that the findings could better inform advocacy, prevention programs, and survivor services for people with autism.”
To respect the diverse communities studied, the researchers intentionally varied terminology throughout the study. “What we would like to further note is that language preferences regarding ability status continue to fluctuate over time and vary among individuals,” Akers said. “Some people prefer identity-first language, such as ‘autistic person,’ while others prefer person-first language, such as ‘autistic person.’ Because participants expressed a range of preferences, we used both formats in writing the original research paper and have continued to use them in these responses as a way to honor participants’ preferences.”
To conduct the study, researchers recruited adults living in the United States through an online participant platform. The final sample consisted of 663 individuals aged 18 years and older. Participants were categorized into three different groups based on self-reported diagnostic status.
The first group included 287 people who received a formal clinical diagnosis of autism from a medical professional. The second group consisted of 270 participants without a diagnosis of autism. The third group was an exploratory category of 106 people who were suspected of having autism but had never received a formal diagnosis, which the authors called the asymptomatic group.
Participants completed a 20-minute online survey and were paid $4 for the survey. The primary measure was the 2024 revised version of a widely used questionnaire to assess experiences of sexual victimization after age 14. The tool categorizes unwanted sexual experiences into four different categories, allowing researchers to assess the specific tactics used by perpetrators.
The first category measured noncontact sexual victimization. This includes things like verbal harassment or someone exposing themselves to someone without their consent. The second category assessed harms facilitated by technology, such as receiving unwanted sexual images or sharing intimate photos online without permission. The third category covered illegal acts in which the perpetrator uses physical violence, verbal threats, or intoxicating substances to obtain sexual contact. The final category measured verbal pressure in which the perpetrator uses persistent insults, anger, or manipulation to coerce someone into sexual activity.
Participants also completed a 14-question screening tool designed to assess symptoms typically associated with autism in adults. The survey asked participants to rate their experiences with social anxiety, difficulty reading social cues, and sensory responses. Sensory responses refer to a person’s physical response to external stimuli, such as being overwhelmed by loud noises, bright lights, or unexpected touch.
The scientists found that sexual victimization was highly prevalent in all three groups studied. When researchers compared the groups, they found that being diagnosed with autism was significantly associated with being more likely to experience certain types of victimization.
“In our study, sexual victimization was commonly reported by all participants, but participants with autism were more likely to report two types of experiences,” Akers said. “First, they were more likely to report direct sexual experiences that did not involve contact, such as being cat-called or being looked at in a sexual manner. Second, they were more likely to report sexual contact or penetration that involved violence, threats, or situations in which they could not consent, such as being drunk, high, or asleep.”
This study found no significant differences between the formally diagnosed and non-autistic groups in terms of technology-facilitated or verbal pressure victimization.
“Interestingly, participants with autism were just as likely as participants without autism to report technology-facilitated sexual victimization, such as receiving unwanted sexual images, and verbal pressure sexual victimization, such as being coerced into having sex due to guilt or repeated requests,” Akers said. “This means that when we talk about the risk of sexual victimization in this population, we need to be specific about the type of sexual victimization we are discussing, rather than assuming that people with autism are at equally high risk in all forms.”
In all four categories, women were consistently at higher risk of victimization than men, regardless of diagnostic status. Additionally, increasing age was associated with a slight increase in the likelihood of engaging in illegal behavior and verbal pressure.
The researchers found that individuals in the exploration group with suspected autism reported similar victimization rates as those with a formal diagnosis. This suggests that vulnerability to sexual harm extends beyond formal medical labels.
“One of the findings that surprised us involved participants who thought they might have autism but had never received a formal diagnosis,” Akers said. “In our study, these participants reported similar levels of sexual victimization across all types of victimization we measured as participants with a formal autism diagnosis.”
This pattern is particularly relevant to certain demographics that tend to be excluded from traditional medical models. “We felt this was especially important because autism in women has historically been underdiagnosed and women are disproportionately affected by sexual victimization,” Akers said. “This suggests to us that if access to customized prevention programs and survivor support is highly dependent on formal diagnostic status, we may be missing out on a large population that could similarly benefit from these services.”
To test the idea that specific traits influence risk, the authors looked at scores on a 14-question autism symptom screening tool. They found that sensory reactivity scores were consistently associated with all four forms of sexual victimization. This association was particularly strong for non-contact victimization, indicating that increased susceptibility plays a large role in a person’s risk level.
Hypersensory reactivity is a common feature of autism, and strong stimuli can cause temporary emotional and physical shutdowns. The authors note that when people feel numb or overwhelmed, they may be unable to process risk cues or exit threatening situations. This physical and mental overload can impair a person’s ability to assert boundaries and tend to increase their vulnerability to predatory behavior.
Although these findings provide insight into sexual victimization, the authors outline several limitations that should be kept in mind. First and foremost, we want to ensure that the relationship between symptoms and experiences is not misunderstood.
“It’s important to us that readers of our paper don’t leave with the understanding that autism is a cause of sexual harm,” Akers said. “Non-consensual sexual experiences are always the perpetrator’s fault, not the victim’s. However, our findings are consistent with previous research suggesting there is a link between autism and sexual victimization, and the more we learn about that link, the better informed our prevention programs will be.”
Because this study relied on an online platform for recruitment, the sample likely included many individuals with autism who had strong language skills, cognitive abilities, and reliable internet access.
“Furthermore, our study recruited participants from an online survey platform, which means our results may not be fully representative of the sexual victimization experiences of all autistic people, especially those with higher support needs,” Akers said.
Another limitation is that the autism diagnosis was self-reported by participants and not confirmed by medical records. Although the researchers used a validated screening tool to support their participants’ claims, the lack of formal diagnostic confirmation leaves room for potential inaccuracies.
The authors suggest that future research should focus on recruiting people across the full range of autistic traits, including those with higher support needs. Scientists also need to investigate how certain other characteristics influence vulnerability to sexual harm, such as cognitive rigidity, which makes it difficult to adapt to new situations.
This finding highlights the need for comprehensive, sensory-friendly sexual health education programs. Making these educational resources available to everyone, including those with subclinical autistic traits, could help reduce the high rates of sexual victimization seen in these populations.
The study, “Comparing the Prevalence of Multiple Types of Sexual Victimization in People with and Without a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder,” was authored by Brianna M. Akers and Zoe D. Peterson.
