Shedding light on a pervasive problem: a review of research on bullying experiences among children with autism spectrum disorders.

Schroeder et al. (2014) read every paper they could find on bullying and autism. They wanted to see how big the problem is and how we measure it.

The team pulled studies from many countries. They looked at who got picked on, how often, and what tools were used to ask about it.

Kids with autism are bullied far more than typical peers. Yet no two studies used the same checklist or definition.

Because every paper asked different questions, we still do not know the true rate. The authors say we need one clear yardstick before we can test ways to stop the hurt.

Sofronoff et al. (2011) had already built a yardstick called the Social Vulnerability Scale. The review missed it, so the gap was partly filled before it was named.

Bellon-Harn et al. (2020) later showed that two traits—poor social tuning and rigidity—predict bullying. They turned the fuzzy problem into numbers, just what the review asked for.

MByiers et al. (2025) went further and taught five autistic kids to report, say “stop,” and walk away. Their small study is the first hands-on reply to the call for action made in the review.

You now know the field moved from “we need a ruler” to “here is a ruler and a lesson plan.” Start by adding the Social Vulnerability Scale or the CSBQ sub-scales to your intake packet. Then slot brief self-protection drills into social-skills groups. The review lit the path; the newer papers built the tools.