Abuse and Neglect
Children with disabilities are significantly more at risk for abuse and neglect than their peers without disabilities, according to a number of studies. The abuse tends to be more severe and last longer, and children with disabilities are less likely to report their abuse or have their cases prosecuted.
![Closeup portrait of a teenage girl Closeup portrait of a Black/African American young woman with short hair and earrings, looking seriously at camera](https://i2.wp.com/childabuseanddisabilities.safeaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/youngperson.jpg?w=298&h=199)
![Young girl getting sensory therapy Young girl gets sensory therapy](https://i2.wp.com/childabuseanddisabilities.safeaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/shutterstock_376235557-web.jpg?w=298&h=199)
- Children with disabilities receiving special education services in the U.S. are 3.4 times more likely to have experienced maltreatment than children without disabilities, according to Sullivan and Knutson.
- Similarly, the World Health Organization reports that children with disabilities were almost four times more likely than children without disabilities to be victims of violence.
- More than a quarter of children with disabilities have been exposed to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect, according to Lund & Vaughn-Jenson.