Community-Based Victimization Prevention Education for Children and Youth With Intellectual and Developmental...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Developmental Psychology
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience elevated risks of victimization, including abuse, neglect, and bullying.
• Existing prevention strategies for this vulnerable group are often underrepresented and lack thorough evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of community-based victimization prevention programs for youth with IDD (ages 10-25).
• To analyze program structures, content, delivery methods, and evaluation evidence across different regions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search and analysis of ten community-based victimization prevention programs for youth with IDD.
• Review encompassed programs from North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia.
• Assessment of program variations, teaching strategies, and evaluation of learning outcomes or implementation.

Main Results:

• Programs varied significantly in structure, content, and teaching strategies, typically delivered over multiple sessions.
• While most programs included some form of evaluation, none were broadly adapted across diverse settings, populations, or geographic regions.
• No reviewed programs addressed multiple forms of victimization.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for rigorous evaluation and the development of tailored, evidence-based approaches to enhance the impact of victimization prevention programs for youth with IDD.
• Future research should focus on broad adaptation, multi-form victimization strategies, and robust evaluation methodologies.