The Exploitation of Autistic and Neurodivergent People: A Silent Crisis
Autistic and neurodivergent individuals—regardless of support needs, IQ, or outward presentation—are at a significantly higher risk of exploitation. The statistics are staggering, especially when it comes to sexual assault, financial abuse, trafficking, and online scams. But what makes us so vulnerable?
One of the biggest traps is honesty. Autistic people often struggle with theory of mind, meaning we don’t instinctively consider that other people have thoughts, motives, or intentions that differ from ours. We assume that if we are honest, others must be honest too. And that’s where the real danger lies.
We don’t automatically question why someone is being kind to us—we take their words at face value. If they say they’re safe, if they act like they care, we believe them. Because why would anyone say one thing and mean another? That’s not how we operate. But unfortunately, that’s how a lot of the world works.
The Alarming Rates of Abuse and Exploitation
The numbers are gut-wrenching. Research shows that 90% of autistic women have been victims of sexual violence, and 75% of those have been assaulted multiple times (Cazalis et al., 2022). Two-thirds of these assaults happened before adulthood.
Let that sink in: Nine out of ten autistic women have experienced sexual violence.
For autistic girls, the risk of being sexually assaulted is nearly three times higher than it is for their neurotypical peers (Psychology Today, 2022). And yet, no one is talking about this enough.
And it’s not just sexual violence. Financial exploitation is rampant. Many autistic and ADHD individuals have been scammed, catfished, or manipulated into giving away money or resources. The impulsivity of ADHD mixed with the trust and literal thinking of autism makes us prime targets. I’ve had multiple clients—and experienced this myself—where someone played the long game, acting kind and generous, only to turn around and take advantage of that trust.
I’ve personally fallen for financial scams, MLMs, and high-pressure sales tactics more times than I’d like to admit. Not because I’m unintelligent—but because I trusted that people meant what they said. Because I don’t naturally question the motives of others. Because they sounded like they wanted to help me, and I assumed they meant it.
And don’t even get me started on online predators. Catfishing is a massive issue in the autistic community. Scammers know that we struggle with picking up on deception, that we take words at face value, that we tend to be more isolated and looking for connection. They know exactly what to say to pull us in.
Why Are We So Vulnerable?
Autistic people often don’t filter social interactions the way neurotypicals do. We don’t read between the lines—we read the lines themselves. And when people aren’t upfront, when their words don’t match their intentions, it’s confusing. Because we don’t have a natural radar for deception, we are easy prey.
A lot of this also comes from masking. By the time many of us reach adulthood, we’ve learned to hide our differences. We’ve been taught that who we are isn’t socially acceptable, so we adapt—often at our own expense. But masking isn’t a skill that protects us from danger; in fact, it can make us more vulnerable.
And then there’s acquiescence—also known as “Yes-Man Syndrome.” Many autistic individuals, especially those who have experienced trauma, are wired to go along with things just to avoid conflict or harm. This is often a learned survival response. If saying yes keeps us safe, we’ll say yes—even when we don’t want to.
This is how people manipulate us. This is how they keep us quiet. And this is why the rates of abuse are so damn high.
Trauma, EMDR, and the Path to Healing
I didn’t become a psychologist just because I liked studying people. I got into this field because I needed to understand my own trauma. I needed to figure out why I was exploited, why I was so trusting, why I ended up in situations that everyone else seemed to see as dangerous—but I didn’t.
During EMDR therapy, I uncovered repressed memories of being trafficked as an adolescent. At the time, I thought I was just being helped. I thought I was getting gifts from a kind person. It wasn’t until years later that I was able to fully understand what had happened to me.
And I’m not alone. Many autistic and neurodivergent people don’t fully process their trauma until much later in life—sometimes because we’ve been gaslit into thinking it wasn’t that bad, and sometimes because our nervous systems protect us by blocking out what’s too overwhelming to process.
This is why early diagnosis is so critical. It’s not about slapping a label on someone. It’s about self-awareness. It’s about understanding our vulnerabilities before someone else exploits them. Forewarned is forearmed. If I had known more about myself as a child, I could have protected myself.
A Call to Action: We Need to Protect Each Other
Neurodivergent people need safe spaces where we can be fully ourselves without fear of exploitation. We need community, education, and support. And most importantly, we need people who understand how our minds work—not just therapists who say they work with autism, but professionals who actually get it.
This is why I offer EMDR intensives for trauma survivors. Because I’ve been there. Because I know how hard it is to face the things that have been done to us. And because healing is possible, but only when we have the right tools and the right support.
If you’ve been exploited—financially, sexually, emotionally—you are not alone. I see you. I hear you. I am you.
And I’m here to help.
References (APA Format)
Brown-Lavoie, S. M., Viecili, M. A., & Weiss, J. A. (2014). Sexual knowledge and victimization in adults with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(9), 2185–2196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2093-y
Cazalis, F., Reyes, E., Leduc, S., & Gourion, D. (2022). Evidence that nine autistic women out of ten have been victims of sexual violence. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 16, Article 852203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.852203
Gibbs, V., Hudson, J., & Pellicano, E. (2022). The extent and nature of autistic people’s violence experiences during adulthood: A cross-sectional study of victimisation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(9), 3509–3524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05647-3
Pecora, L. A., Hancock, G. I., Mesibov, G. B., & Stokes, M. A. (2019). Characterising the sexuality and sexual experiences of autistic females. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(12), 4834–4846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04204-9
Weiss, J. A., & Fardella, M. A. (2018). Victimization and perpetration experiences of adults with autism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, Article 203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00203