Jed Baker - No More Victims: Protecting Those with Autism from Cyber Bullying, Internet Predators & ...

No More Victims:

Protecting Those with Autism from Cyber Bullying,

Internet Predators & Scams

All marketing and publishing rights guaranteed to and reserved by:

721 W. Abram Street
Arlington, TX 76013
(800) 489-0727
(817) 277-0727
(817) 277-2270 (fax)
E-mail:
www.fhautism.com

2013 Jed Baker
Cover and interior design by John Yacio III
All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this product may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission of Future Horizons, Inc, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-935274-94-0

5: An Insiders View of Keeping Safe in the Digital World
(by Jennifer McIlwee Myers)

The digital world of cell phones and other Internet devices oers a wonderful way to communicate and socialize with others. Yet, it is also rife with dangers of being victimized emotionally, physically, and nancially. In this book, I address three main areas of concern that pertain especially to individuals with autism spectrum disorders: cyber bullying, online sexual predators, and Internet scams.

Individuals on the autism spectrum may be particularly susceptible to these types of scams because of challenges with being able to gauge and understand others intentions, isolation, increased time online, and difficulty with developing assertive communication skills. It can be hard for them to determine when an online perpetrator may be bullying or trying to exploit someone, if they have difficulty with perspective taking and understanding other peoples motives and intent. The social isolation individuals on the spectrum experience makes them more likely to spend time online and more apt to respond to online scammers and predators who oer friendship, romance, or other rewards. Finally, difficulty with communication skills may make it especially challenging to seek help or end communications with online perpetrators.

features Jennifer McIlwee Myers, an insightful author with Aspergers syndrome. She provides an insiders view of how she stays safe on the Internet. She also explains what parents and others can do to help their loved ones use the Internet safely.

Cyber Bullying is a term typically used to describe emotional victimization and abuse among school- and college-aged individuals. It occurs via the Internet or through digital means. Students may use the Internet to harass, intimidate, or bully others. Cyber bullying may include:

I Posting insulting and embarrassing information or pictures of others on a Web site
Example: In several high schools across the country, students have been suspended or expelled after creating Web sites on which they could rate the attractiveness of their peers. Students who were rated as attractive, as well as those who were rated poorly, were potentially embarrassed or humiliated in a public forum.

II Fooling victims into disclosing personal or sensitive information, which the predator(s) will later use against them
Example: While on Facebook, one of my male students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received a message from a girl he knew well, saying that she really liked him and wanted to date him. She asked that he e-mail her a nude photo of himself. He sent the photo, only to find out later that he had sent the photo to someone who had posed as the girl he knew. The actual person who had requested the photo had hacked into the girls account, posed as her to get this photo, and intended to send the picture out to students all over the school. Fortunately, the boys parents and the police were informed. They were able to trace the source of the hacking, and they retrieved the photo before it was distributed.

III Sending threatening or insulting messages directly to victims
Example: A middle-school boy with Aspergers syndrome posted some YouTube videos of songs he wrote. Some peers from his school commented online. They demeaned the boy and his songs, calling him retarded and other derogatory names. The boys parents sought help from the school and the police. The police would not get involved, and the school did not have the legal means to trace the source of the comments. In the end, the boy took down the YouTube videos and blocked comments from others.

IV Impersonating others to send insulting or embarrassing messages
Example: Four students who very much liked their math teacher thought it would be funny to create an Instagram account in their teachers name. They posted his picture, which they got from Facebook, and posted information like, I love math. What they did not bargain for was that other students, whom they had permitted to follow this Instagram account, posted derogatory comments about the teacher. The school traced the Instagram account to one of the students phones and then to all four students who admitted to creating the account. The students received in-school suspensions and were asked to create a project to warn incoming middle-schoolers the following year about how to avoid cyber bullying.

Whereas cyber bullying is a term usually reserved for emotional abuse among peers, sexual predators use the Internet to seek out younger victims to sexually abuse. They often pose as other people to be able to befriend vulnerable children and teens. They may blackmail students into sending nude pictures of themselves and set up a meeting, where they can abuse their victims.

In the adult world, cyber bullying often manifests in the form of Internet scams, where victims fall prey to those who take advantage of themtypically for financial gain. For example, on some online dating sites, predators pose as would-be dates, using fake pictures or videos to attract others and foster a trusting relationship, only to eventually try to extort money from their victims.

Who is likely to be a victim of cyber bullying,

online predators, and Internet scams?

Anyone can be victimized, not only those on the autism spectrum. For example, according to the Cyber Bullying Research Center, about 20%25% of 11- to 18-year-olds have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10%20% experience it regularly.were at high risk for being bullied, as compared with their typically developing peers. They also found that parents did not know how often their children had been bullied or had bullied others.

Wolak, Finkelhor, Mitchell, and Ybarra reviewed the research on characteristics of both online sexual predators and youth who were victimized.with strangers, given their lack of known friends with whom they can communicate.

Another characteristic of online predators is that the relationship fostered is conducted in secrecy, without family and friends being aware. Predators often want to turn their victims away from their families and friends, while providing their victims with the sense that only they really care for them. Once again, isolated youths with ASDs who seek the positive attention of others may be particularly vulnerable to this kind of threat.