A new research review finds that children with disabilities are four times more likely to become victims of violence than children who are nondisabled.
The authors said that while children with disabilities are widely believed to be at greater risk of violence, this study is the first to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of that risk.
Published last week in the online version of The Lancet, it says that 26.7 percent of children with disabilities have been exposed to some kind of violence during their lives. Violence was defined in the report as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect.