Rest easy, young queen.
It's cool to say "teach the child how to have tough skin" or "teach kids how to defend themselves," but not when the kid is autistic. These cave maggots love to attack soft targets and the child having a disability just increases their inherent bloodlust. Being in Utah, you gotta have the foresight as a parent to know what the kid is gonna be dealing with being around these people on a daily basis. This requires you to take off the rose colored glasses and be honest about what these people really are and what they're taught from a young age. I would have tried to get outta there or figure out a homeschooling situation ASAP.