Investigative Interviewing of Children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at increased risk of becoming victims of crime compared to the general population. It is important that professionals can accurately elicit information about crimes from child witnesses or victims during an investigative interview, particularly when cases lack physical evidence or corroborating eyewitness accounts. Variations in attention, communication, memory and emotional regulation could influence how children with ADHD or autistic children respond in investigative interviews, potentially affecting the information they share. This scoping review will systematically map the existing literature on investigative interviews involving children with ADHD and/or ASD. It will examine the types of interview procedures, study designs, independent variables and outcome measures employed across the literature. The review aims to provide a clear overview of what is currently known, highlight methodological trends, identify gaps in the evidence, and guide future research.