Men with Intellectual Disabilities Who Sexually Abuse: A Review of the Literature

Trailing behind the recent acknowledgement of the high incidence of sexual abuse amongst people with intellectual disabilities is a recognition of men with intellectual disabilities as perpetrators of sexual abuse. This paper reviews the North American, Australian and British literature published in this area. It demonstrates that both theoretical understandings and clinical interventions with men with intellectual disabilities are often discordant with wider perspectives of work with sexual abusers. The effect of this is shown to be common discriminatory practice received by men with intellectual disabilities which at times shows poor regard for their rights.