Purpose – Studies have found innate vulnerabilities which potentially may increase the risk of an individual with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) finding themselves involved with the criminal justice system as a result of being charged with a sexual offence. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the literature which has explored sexual offending in individuals with ASD. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic PRISMA review (PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) was conducted using internet-based bibliographic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection and PsycARTICLES) in order to access studies which investigated to any degree the association between ASD and sexual offending. Findings – Only a small number of case reports ( n =7) on sexual offending in individuals with ASD and a small number of prevalence studies ( n =7) were identified. Research limitations/implications – Research is urgently required to identify the specific requirements and needs of sexual offenders with ASD in order to inform an appropriate treatment strategy for successful outcomes. Originality/value – Relatively few studies and reviews have investigated the area of ASD and sexual offending specifically.
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Allely et al. (2016) studied this question.
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