Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 Patterns of Victimization of School-Aged Children with Autism in the Rural Southern United States Megan Rae Marie Thornton Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Disability Studies Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Megan Rae Marie Thornton has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Daniel Jones, Committee Chairperson, Criminal Justice Faculty Dr. Carolyn Dennis, Committee Member, Criminal Justice Faculty Dr. Michael Klemp-North, University Reviewer, Criminal Justice Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract Patterns of Victimization of School-Aged Children with Autism in the Rural Southern United States by Megan Rae Marie Thornton MA, University of the Rockies, 2016 BA, Waldorf College, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Criminal Justice Studies Walden University November 2020 Abstract Individuals with disabilities experience victimization at rates higher than their typically- functioning peers. Because they are often perceived as unreliable reporters, the likelihood that victimizations of individuals with disabilities are reported is low.