An Exploratory Study of the Knowledge of Personal Safety Skills Among Children with Developmental Disabilitites and Their Parents

Children with developmental disabilities may have decreased knowledge of personal safety skills, increasing the risk of maltreatment. Structured interviews assessed the personal safety knowledge of children with developmental disabilities referred to a risk reduction program. In addition, a questionnaire was used to obtain parents' perception of their child's personal safety skills. Both child interviews and parent perceptions indicated low personal safety knowledge in several areas including identifying appropriate and responding to inappropriate touch.