28% of murderers thought to have suffered from ASD

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I am sorry that I made you guys upset. I was pointing out how problematic the stereotype is that very high IQ is a symptom of Asperger Syndrome, it's a media issue, because to commit crimes without being caught for a long time , you need to have at least very high intellect and some social intelligence. But having some social intelligence doesn't preclude you from having ASD.

Having some social intelligence is completely different from having all social intelligence.

It's the Asperger's/murderer comparisons which are upsetting to some.

I know you don't mean to imply that people with autism could, because of their autism, be murderers.

I am sorry for causing confusion, I was trying my best to point out the media issue. That type of misinformation from the media needs to stop.

Sure, but people are wrongly convicted and accused quite a bit. I myself narrowly escaped arrest for something I didn't do (and would never do), and it would have ruined my life. All because some idiot wanted to use a false sexual predator accusation as a get-out-of-jail-free card to get herself out of trouble (Story on one of my other posts).

So how exactly would they guarantee whether the individual actually LACKS empathy or simply has no ability to show it? That's my point. Most NTs cannot tell the difference, and I'm no expert on law and criminal justice, but I dare say most judges are not qualified to make that determination.

This isn't really a media issue so much as an NT mentality issue... Pointing out this statistic will only make more people look at us as creeps, freaks and monsters, and we have enough of that already.

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I don't know how to act my age, I've never been this old before. Which begs the question....
Since ASD means various parts of the brain stop developing at various ages...
Just how the hell am I supposed to know WHICH age to act, anyway?

I know what you mean.

I narrowly avoided arrest a few times myself.

It's OK, I'm sorry for freaking out. I just have this unusual problem where I really hate autism (I don't hate autistic people, I just hate having autism). And when people say "autistics lack empathy" they should really change it to "autistics lack social intuition", because that's how this false stigma about autism and murderers gets spread around and the general public get the wrong idea, as empathy seems to have a million meanings but the first idea people get when "lack of empathy" is listed as a symptom of something is "heartless and evil", like a psychopath. Psychologists need to be more specific when studying these diagnoses of different neurological/neurodevelopmental challenges and mental illnesses.

I don't think lack of empathy is the right word to describe lack of social skills, but it is known as cognitive emapthy. I think that lack theory of mind is a better argument to describe lack of social skills.

People who think that there is a link between ASD and serious crimes are very stupid. When some people with ASD commit serious crimes, there is a comorbidities of psychiatric disorders that can explain criminal behavior.

There are only 4 situations when ASD should be used as a legal defense.


Four situations when ASD should be a factor in criminal preceding:


1) Behaviors that looks like stalking, but you are just keep following the person and have no understanding that a person wants to be left alone, unless they tell you.

2) When it comes to sexual assault accusations, a person with ASD can ask their partner for sex, the partner said the he or she agrees to have sex, but made body languages and mixed messages leading a person with ASD to believe that they consented to sex, but in reality they did not. That type of situation should be treated completely different than rape. And another situation where you are being lied to into commiting crimes that you otherwise wouldn't commit.

But when it comes to sex, if you don't understand the context of social cues, you should be able to build responsibility to ask for your partner for clear communication, and if they still make mixed messages, it's not worth your time to be with such people.

3. There is a situation when you become very stressed when your transition changed to a completely different environment, and in some cases, you acted in violence, and have a belief that you don't feel safe at the moment.

Those are the only 4 situations when ASD should be used as a legal defense.

Those 4 situations I described is completely different than making a link between ASD and serious felonies.

I pointed out that most people with ASD are more likely to be victims than being perpetrators.

To play devil's advocate a little, I did have periodic violent fantasies as a child, particularly directed at people who wronged me.

For instance, when I was little, before my parents moved across the country, they used to have dinner parties with other couples/families. Oftentimes, they'd find something to pick on me about, like me not sitting straight enough or crying when a teacup broke. That's when they'd start screaming at me in front of the guests, and the guests would laugh in uproariously unison and/or mock me "Aww, so cute, look at him, he's crying!"

That's when I had a fantasy of running out of the room, to the continued laughter of the guests, then coming back with a loaded M-15 or AK-47. Then I'd say "hasta la vista, babies!" (I was aware of the "Terminator" movie back then) in a flat, emotionless voice, and unleash a hailstorm of bullets not seen since World War II, turning a dinner party into a one-sided battlefield that'd scare George H. W. Bush himself (president at the time).

Oftentimes, a teacher gave me a C, which always got me in trouble with my parents and caused me to lose TV privileges for 2 weeks; plus, she'd sometimes gloat to me about it. That's when I had a fantasy too: bringing a sharp weapon to school, running toward that teacher, and... use your imagination.

Does that mean I lacked empathy? Hell, no! I was willing to sacrifice my life for good causes, like abused children or abandoned animals; in other words, if my death would save even one of them, I was willing and ready to die. But then again... my fantasies were far from peaceful; plus, I was suicidal since I was 5. Although, my intentions behind them were "good": I was "protecting" myself from abusive adults.

So it's anybody's guess how AS/autism and empathy fit together.

^
Were the very empathetic about your feelings? Doesn't sound like it to me. Why should autistics get the "lack of empathy" label and never the NTs, no matter how cruel and selfish they can be? It is what gets me.

When I was a kid I sometimes had violent thoughts but not with people or animals, but with objects or made-up characters like fairies. I remember I used to imagine this little, tiny fairy type of girl in my room (as big as your little finger) and me trapping her inside a tube, and then I hear her say "help!" in a tiny squeak, and it made me feel so angry for some reason that I imagined kicking the tube with the fairy in it, and basically bullying her.

But I never fantasized that sort of thing with real people or animals, even when I was feeling angry. But I did often destroy objects if they were cute. My poor teddy bear went through the wars because he was so cute that I couldn't stop squeezing and biting him (don't worry, he's safe and sound but it just tattered from the abusive love I gave him).
My boyfriend is cute too and sometimes suffers similar abuse, but not violent abuse. Just love. He knows that and lets me get it out my system by attacking him with kisses and cuddles.

What I am worried about that there are some people with ASD that are prone to be psychopathic, and if they were victimized for a long time, they can act out on their anger. Please keep in mind that I use language 'some' and it is completely different than generalizing people with ASD as a group as being psychopaths, because it's very stupid and wrong.


Most people are more likely to have homicidal ideations, but are more likely to commit suicide than act out on their angry thoughts against bullies. I want to emphasize the fact, is that there is a huge link between having Autism Spectrum Disorder and being victimized more than the general population. Some of those people with ASD happen to become the joker after being victimized for a long time, but that is just an analogy and I know it's a film, but it also comes from the bases of reality as well.

That concerns me as well, because I have ASD. But people with high intellect regardless of neurotype will be able to understand that nernous studies point out that vast of majority of people with ASD are more likely to be victims than being perpetrators. Even if I was a felon who happened to have ASD, the results are going to be the same. And I am the person who showed symptoms of Conduct Disorder Unspecified and happened to have ASD, so I am not exactly completely innocent in history. And Conduct Disorder is a precuser to Antisocial Personality Disorder if it gets worse over time.

Also, if a person commits a crime, it's more accurate to assume that there are psychopathic tendencies. As a label to understand the difference between innocent people's and criminal's brain.

Any person who intentionally murders another person is a psychopath, in my opinion. No matter how angry you are, how insecure you are, etc, it still takes a lot of evilness (can't think of a better word) to actually pick up a knife or a gun and murder someone (not including those under the influence of hard drugs). Most people don't have that in them to do such a thing. And a lot of murderers never feel remorse for what they did. So there must be something wrong somewhere inside their brain to allow them to do these awful things.

I am resentful inside because I hate having autism, I've been socially rejected and bullied, I get jealous of people who socially have it better than me, but I'm 32 years old and I have never even thought about murdering anybody yet and I know I never will. It's just not in me.
When I used to have rage outbursts I was never, ever a danger to other people. I would shout and swear and slam doors, but I would never hurt another person. I've had an outburst before and there was a sharp knife out on the kitchen table but I never even attempted to grab it and start stabbing my family with it. You could even give me a knife when I'm at my angriest and I'll still never hurt or kill anybody with it. The worst I'll do is put it back in the kitchen drawer and slam the drawer shut angrily.

The thought of murder never occured to me no matter how angry I have got.

Not only are you a psychopath for killing or commiting serious felonies, but you also have symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder and serious anger issues, delusional jealousy and granduer (Megalomaniac delusion of granduer, grandiosity, also known as Narcissistic Personality Disorder), and Sadistic Personality Disorder, although Sadistic Personality Disorder is not listed in DSM-5 and ICD-11.

Those are the comorbidities that can explain criminal behaviors, even when it is co-morbid with ASD.