The paper has been covering a boy with Asperger's syndrome. Is it true that its makes someone more prone to violent acts?
It is most definitely not true.
In fact, and this is based more on personal experience than research, the chances of violent behavior are probably less in people with a diagnosis of Asperger's.
For review, let me briefly outline what this diagnosis means. It suggests a set of behaviors which are common on the less compelling range of the so called autistic spectrum.
Dr. Hans Asperger wrote his famous paper in 1945 or thereabouts. In it, he asserted that autism was not a "ding an sich," a "thing in itself," but was a continuum. On the less severe end of the continuum were the now defined "Asperger's" people.
They are characterized by preservation and obsessive behavior, tendencies toward rigidity in approach to life and situations, possible emotional lability, and — most importantly — difficulty reading social cues. There is some variability on all of the diagnostic measures, but these will do for a quick understanding.
Asperger's young people I have known — and they number in the hundreds to perhaps 1,000 — are usually bright, and many are exceedingly capable. You will find many on college campuses, and they are the faculty!
The kind of violence recently mentioned in the press has nothing to do with Asperger's. Rather, there are probably many other diagnoses and behaviors of which we know nothing.
What is known about the recent high profile case is likely skewed on both sides. A courtroom is often a poor place to understand human behavior.
The case in the papers is a heart rending tragedy. Blame comes late to the situation. Rather, two lives have been lost. Ruin has come to two families, and we are as helplessly ignorant as the day the news broke. Certainly we should not blame Asperger's.
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Dr. Larry Larsen is an Andover psychologist. If you would like to ask a question or respond to one, e-mail him at lrryllrsn@cs.com.
