View source for Violence and autism

{{Short description|Social discrimination against autistic people}}

Various connections have been made between '''violence and autism''' within social narratives. According to [[public opinion]], violent behavior is common for autistic individuals, but evidence does not support [[Autism spectrum|autism spectrum disorder]] (ASD) as a predisposition to delinquency or crime.  Autistic people are likely to be victims of  bullying, abuse and other violence.

== Violence against autistic people ==
[[File:Autistic_teenage_girl.jpg|thumb|14-year-old autistic adolescent in sensory withdrawal (or shutdown).]]

Autistic individuals are often victims of violence, including bullying, abuse, sexual assault and criminal acts.<ref name=Trundle2022>{{cite journal |last1= Trundle |first1= Grace |last2= Jones |first2= Katy A|last3= Ropar |first3= Danielle |last4= Egan |first4= Vincent|title=Prevalence of Victimisation in Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |journal=Trauma Violence Abuse |pages=2282–2296 |date=May 2022 |volume= 24 |issue= 4 |pmid=35524162 |doi=10.1177/15248380221093689 |pmc= 10486169 |s2cid= 248553233 |doi-access= free }}</ref> Violence can be physical or [[Verbal abuse|verbal]],<ref name="McGuire0">{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016b|p=93}}</ref>  as illustrated by the frequent use of the word "autistic" as an [[insult]].<ref name="Jourdan20170">{{Cite news |last=Jourdan |first=Camille |date=13 March 2017 |title=Comment " autiste " est devenu le nouveau " trisomique " |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url=https://www.slate.fr/story/140009/comment-autiste-est-devenu-le-nouveau-trisomique |access-date=14 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jurecic |first=Ann |date=May 2007 |title=Neurodiversity |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25472229 |journal=College English, National Council of Teachers of English |volume=69 |issue=5 |pages=421–442 |jstor=25472229}}</ref>  Autistic people, like many people with disabilities, are often victims of hate crimes, and many live in fear.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beadle-Brown |first1=Lisa |last2=Richardson |first2=Julie |date=January 2014 |title=Living in Fear: Better outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autism |url=https://kar.kent.ac.uk/48370/ |access-date=24 September 2017 |website=[[University of Kent]]}}</ref>

A 2003 study found that children diagnosed with [[Asperger syndrome]] were more likely to be victims of violence than tormentors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tsatsanis |first=Katherine |date=2003 |title=Outcome research in Asperger syndrome and autism |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12512398/ |journal=Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=47–63 |doi=10.1016/s1056-4993(02)00056-1 |pmid=12512398 |access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> Violence against non-speaking autistic people is also facilitated by the fact that they are unable to talk about it and report it:<ref name="Raffin20010" /> in general, the more a person is considered to be "in a weak situation", or as a "severe" case, the more vulnerable they are to violence and exclusion.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016b|pp=101–102}}</ref> Dependence is an aggravating factor, especially if daily assistance is required for everyday activities such as meals and washing.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|p=213}}</ref> The "seriousness" of the disability can thus be invoked to justify all types of violence, including murder.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|p=216}}</ref>

=== In schools ===
Bullying is "the most common form of violence among children and adolescents", according to Park, et al. (2020).<ref name= Park2020/> Students with ASD are victims more often than other students; the prevalence of being victimized is higher than being a perpetrator of bullying.<ref name= Park2020>{{cite journal |last1=Park |first1= I| last2= Gong |first2= J |last3= Lyons |first3= GL |title=Prevalence of and Factors Associated with School Bullying in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Cultural Meta-Analysis |journal=Yonsei Med J |volume=61 |issue=11 |pages=909–922 |date=November 2020 |pmid=33107234 |pmc=7593096 |doi=10.3349/ymj.2020.61.11.909 }}</ref>

=== In the family environment ===
[[File:Bm138Wechselbalg.jpg|alt=Engraving showing a person keeping a changeling in chains.|thumb|The [[changeling]] myth was once used to justify the abandonment and murder of autistic babies and children by their biological families.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rodríguez |first=Ana María |title=Autism Spectrum Disorders |publisher=[[Twenty-First Century Books]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0761358831 |pages=23–25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Valletutti |first1=Peter J. |title=Severely and Profoundly Handicapped Students: Their Nature and Needs |last2=Sims-Tucker |first2=Bernita M. |publisher=P. H. Brookes Publishing Company |year=1984 |isbn=0933716338 |pages=334}}</ref>]]

Familial abuse against autistic children does not appear to be more frequent than familial abuse against non-autistic children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zittoun |first=Catherine |url=https://www.cairn.info/sommes-nous-bientraitants-avec-nos-enfants--9782704014613.htm |title=Sommes-nous bientraitants avec nos enfants ? |publisher=[[Doin]] |year=2015 |isbn=9782704014743 |pages=322|trans-title= Are we treating our children well? |language= fr}}</ref>

However, cases of infanticide, usually committed by the mother of the autistic child,<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|p=209}}</ref> have been documented.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Alt |first1=Betty L. |title=When Caregivers Kill: Understanding Child Murder by Parents and Other Guardians |last2=Wells |first2=Sandra K. |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Publishers]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1442200791 |pages=34}}</ref> Dozens <!-- Why is ''dozens'' in quotation marks?--> of murders have been reported in the Western press over the past decade, particularly in the Canadian press.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Timimi |first1=Sami |title=Re-Thinking Autism: Diagnosis, Identity and Equality |last2=Mallett |first2=Rebecca |last3=Runswick-Cole |first3=Katherine |publisher=[[Jessica Kingsley Publishers]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1784500276 |pages=336}}</ref> [[Autistic Self Advocacy Network|The Autistic Self Advocacy Network]] notes 36 in 2012, all involving people with disabilities, primarily autism.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}} Each murder case is treated individually, but the general motive given for each is "autism" or "living with autism".<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|pp=199–202}}</ref> Testimony on this subject emphasizes the supposed severity of autism and the despair it is thought to generate.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|pp=201–220}}</ref>

A form of extreme violence, the murder of autistic people by their relatives is justified by the bad public perception of autism, assimilated to a "lifelong pathology" that should be fought.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016b|p=99}}</ref> Some of this violence results from the [[medical model of autism]], which promotes a vision of autism as a disease to be eradicated or an abnormality to be [[Normalization (people with disabilities)|normalized]].<ref name="Waltz_2008">{{cite journal | author=Waltz M | title=Autism = Death: The social and medical impact of a catastrophic medical model of autistic spectrum disorders| journal=Popular Narrative Media | volume=1 | issue=1 | pages=13–24 | date=2008 | doi=10.3828/pnm.1.1.4| url=https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/autism--death-the-social-and-medical-impact-of-a-catastrophic-medical-model-of-autistic-spectrum-disorders(9ab3d0b1-1c7a-46b2-b705-3f3f53be6103).html }}</ref>  The extreme violence is illustrated by the accounts of murderers who want to "kill autism" in the hope of making their loved ones "normal".<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016b|pp=102–104}}</ref>

[[Social class]] seems to be a predisposing factor to murder, as the infanticidal mothers did not have the financial resources to receive effective support for their disabled child.<ref>{{Harvtxt|McGuire|2016a|pp=210–211}}</ref>

== Distress mischaracterized as violence ==
According to Anne-Sophie Ferry, "Autism is not characterized by violence or outbursts of anger", though the latter sometimes results from communication difficulties or accumulated distress.{{page needed|date=July 2023}}<ref name="Chapel20160" />  Institutionalized non-speaking autistic adolescents may express violent behaviors such as spitting or biting, without understanding their actions.<ref name="Lheureux0">{{cite book |last=Lheureux-Davidse |first=Chantal |title=Handicap et violence |publisher=[[ERES]] |year=2014 |isbn=9782749243115 |chapter=Manifestations violentes chez les adolescents autistes sans langage verbal en situation groupale [Violent manifestations in autistic adolescents without verbal language in a group situation] |language = fr |pages= 165–178}}</ref>

Some behavioral characteristics of autistic people are wrongly interpreted as violence by those around them, including dislike of physical contact, lack of eye contact, and lack of response to parents' voices.<ref name="Raffin20010">{{Cite journal |last=Raffin |first=Cinzia |date=2001 |title=La violence qui se cache derrière le problème de l'autisme, The violence hidden behind the problem of autism, La violencia escondida detras del problema del autísmo |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247910949 |journal=Thérapie Familiale |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=21–38 |doi=10.3917/tf.011.0021 |issn=0250-4952|doi-access=free }}</ref> Non-speaking autistic people may have inappropriate behavior in terms of force and impact on the other person, leading them to be characterized as violent behaviors.<ref name="Lheureux0" />

Further, autistic people's [[Sensory processing sensitivity|sensory hypersensitivities]] can trigger reactions that are perceived as violent. Autistic Individuals may attempt to cope with sensory overload by impulsively releasing it through actions such as avoidance or clawing gestures, often without considering the potential for violence; this violence is not intended to harm others but rather as an effort to regulate their sensory experiences.<ref name="Lheureux0" />

=== Criminal and delinquent behavior ===
No evidence exists suggesting an association between ASD and delinquency, and the delinquency rate is lower among autistic individuals than among [[allistic]] individuals.<ref name="Rutten20170">{{Cite journal |last1=Rutten |first1=A. X. |last2=Vermeiren |first2=R. R. J. M. |last3=Van Nieuwenhuizen |first3=Ch. |date=22 September 2017 |title=Autism in adult and juvenile delinquents: a literature review |journal=Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health |volume=11 |pages=45 |doi=10.1186/s13034-017-0181-4 |pmid=28947914 |pmc=5609035 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Case study|Individual cases]] of autistic criminals do not provide generalization of a predisposition to violence to the entire autistic community.<ref name="Maras0" />

A psychological profile of two mass murderers, [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting#Perpetrator|Adam Lanza]] and [[Anders Behring Breivik]], found that their actions were not explained by autism alone but rather by the intertwining of various factors, including the association between ASD and [[narcissistic personality disorder]], which forms "a particularly 'explosive' combination that increases the risk that an autistic individual may engage in extremely violent behavior".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allely |first1=Clare |last2=Faccini |first2=L |date=23 June 2017 |title=A Conceptual Analysis of Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder |url=http://article.scholarena.com/A-Conceptual-Analysis-of-Individuals-with-an-Autism.pdf |journal=Journal of Forensic and Crime Studies |volume=1 |issue=1}}</ref> Anders Breivik was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, narcissistic personality disorder, and [[antisocial personality disorder]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Faccini |first1=L. |last2=Allely |first2=C. S. |date=2016 |title=Mass violence in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder: A case analysis of Anders Breivik using the "Path to Intended and Terroristic Violence" model |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178916301550 |journal=Aggression and Violent Behavior |language= |volume=31 |pages=229–236 |doi=10.1016/j.avb.2016.10.002 |s2cid=152223832 |issn=1359-1789 |access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>

[[Jeffrey Dahmer]], a cannibalistic and necrophiliac serial murderer, was [[Retrospective diagnosis#Retrospective diagnoses of autism|retrospectively diagnosed]] with Asperger syndrome in 2002,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Silva |first1=JA |last2=Ferrari |first2=MM |last3=Leong |first3=GB |date=November 2002 |title=The case of Jeffrey Dahmer: sexual serial homicide from a neuropsychiatric developmental perspective |journal=Forensic Sci |edition=6 |volume=47 |issue=6 |pages=47–59 |pmid=12455663}}</ref> but the accuracy of that speculative diagnosis has been questioned.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Palermo |first1= Mark T|last2= Bogaerts |first2= Stefan |title=The Dangers of Posthumous Diagnoses and the Unintended Consequences of Facile Associations: Jeffrey Dahmer and Autism Spectrum Disorders |journal=Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol |volume=59 |issue=14 |pages=1564–79 |date=December 2015 |pmid=25209624 |doi=10.1177/0306624X14550642 |s2cid= 24932162|url=}}</ref>

== Social perception ==

Autism is associated with inappropriate behaviors, such as violence,<ref name="Chapel20160">{{Cite book |last1=Le Callennec |title=Autisme: La grande enquête. Préface de Josed Schovanec |trans-title= Autism: The big survey|language=fr|last2=Chapel |publisher=Les Arènes |year=2016 |isbn=9782352045298 |location=Paris}}</ref> delinquency, and crime in the English,<ref name="Maras0">{{Harvtxt|Maras|Mulcahy|Crane|2015|p=515}}</ref> French,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gravillon |first=Isabelle |date=20 May 2016 |title=La France peut mieux faire |url=https://www.cairn.info/resume.php?ID_ARTICLE=EPAR_619_0027 |journal=L'École des parents |pages=27–34 |issn=0424-2238 }}</ref> and German media.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Schmidt|Sachs|2014}}</ref>

Robert Chapman argued in 2017 that a [[Cognitive bias|bias]] exists in the way information about violence in autism is processed: violence experienced against [[allistic]] people from autistic people may receive more attention, whereas violence experienced by autistic people is invisible, or considered "normal", leading to "a collective cultural failure to recognize violence against autistic people as a significant and pressing socio cultural issue".<ref name="Chapman20170">{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Robert |date=27 July 2017 |title=We need to talk about the domestic abuse of autistic adults |url=https://medium.com/the-establishment/we-need-to-talk-about-the-domestic-abuse-of-autistic-adults-5df294504a13 |url-access=limited |access-date=14 November 2017 |website=The Establishment}}</ref>

Media portrayals of autism and violence negatively influence [[public opinion]] on autism<ref name="Maras0" /> and foster negative impressions of autistic people by linking ASD with criminal behavior.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brewer |first1=Neil |last2=Zoanetti |first2=Jordana |last3=Young |first3=Robyn |date=1 January 2017 |title=The influence of media suggestions about links between criminality and autism spectrum disorder |journal=Autism |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=117–121 |doi=10.1177/1362361316632097 |pmid=27132012 |s2cid=3460552 }}</ref> For example, an analysis of 100 French and Italian works of children's and young people's literature published between 1995 and 2005 featuring a main character with a disability found that autistic people are presented as violent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laurence |first=Joselin |url=https://www.cairn.info/les-enfants-dans-les-livres--9782749237312-page-103.htm#:~:text=Dans%20la%20litt%C3%A9rature%20de%20jeunesse%2C%20la%20violence%20du%20h%C3%A9ros%20en,personnages%20porteurs%20du%20syndrome%20autistique. |title=Reprèsentations plurielles des héros en situation de handicap dans la littérature de jeunesse |date=14 August 2014 |publisher=ERES |isbn=9782749237312}}</ref> The film [[The Specials (2019 film)|''The Specials'']] has a line that autism educators "take a beating all day".<ref>{{Cite web |title=[Film] Hors normes : quand l'autisme crève l'écran |url=https://www.lemediasocial.fr/fe8507f3b_6bf6_43ec_ab3e_b4517815adcd |access-date=26 October 2019 |website=Le Média Social}}</ref> The American film [[The Accountant (2016 film)|''The Accountant'']] (2016), which features an obsessive, unempathetic autistic accountant operating as a [[Contract killing|contract killer]], has been called offensive to autistic people, in part because of the violence it exhibits.<ref name="Haagaard">{{Cite news |last=Haagaard |first=Alexandra |date=17 October 2016 |title=How 'The Accountant' Victimizes The Autistic Community |work=The Establishment |url=https://medium.com/the-establishment/how-the-accountant-victimizes-the-autistic-community-c99207bf0d3f |access-date=17 December 2017}}</ref>

Beyond fictional characterizations, news sources may perpetuate the connection between autism and violence. For instance, an American mass murderer was immediately labeled as autistic in the French media on December 14, 2012.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wacjman |first=Claude |date=6 February 2014 |title=Que nous enseigne la controverse sur l'autisme? |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-psychologie-clinique-2013-2-page-8.htm |journal=Psychologie Clinique |volume=36 |pages=8–30 |doi=10.1051/psyc/201438008 |access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref> Individual cases of autistic people versed in [[cybercrime]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 May 2017 |title=Londres : 8 ans de prison pour le cyber-terroriste ultra connecté |work=[[Ouest-France]] |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/terrorisme/londres-8-ans-de-prison-pour-le-cyber-terroriste-ultra-connecte-4964253 |access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> and [[terrorism]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 May 2017 |title=Londres : un étudiant autiste coupable d'avoir posé une bombe dans le métro |work=[[Le Figaro]] |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/05/03/97001-20170503FILWWW00265-gb-un-etudiant-autiste-coupable-d-avoir-pose-une-bombe-dans-le-metro.php |access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> have also been documented in the press.<ref name="Maras0" />

[[Autism rights movement|Activists for the rights of autistic people]] oppose the media exposure of a relation between autism and violence,<ref name="Lutz20120">{{Cite news |last=Lutz |first=Amy S. F. |date=17 December 2012 |title=Don't Be Afraid of People With Autism |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url=https://slate.com/author/amy-sf-lutz |access-date=24 September 2017}}</ref><ref>* {{Cite news |last=Rochman |first=Bonnie |date=19 December 2012 |title=Troubling legacy of Sandy Hook may be backlash against kids with autism |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/19/health/shooting-autism/index.html |access-date=24 September 2017}}<br />* {{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Michelle |date=10 October 2010 |title=Are autistic people natural born criminals? |url=https://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2010/10/are-autistic-people-natural-born.html}}<br />* {{Cite web |last=Autistic Self Avocacy Network |title=ASAN Statement on Media Reports Regarding Newtown, CT Shooting {{!}} Autistic Self Advocacy Network |url=https://autisticadvocacy.org/2012/12/asan-statement-on-media-reports-regarding-newtown-ct-shooting/ |access-date=24 September 2017 |website=Autistic Self Advocacy Network|date=14 December 2012 }}</ref> arguing that [[Discrimination against autistic people|social discrimination]] is already a source of suffering for this population.<ref name="Lutz20120" /> Activists began to document acts of violence committed against autistic people in the 2000s, calling for a political response.<ref name="McGuire0" />

== See also ==
*[[Ableism]]
*[[Sanism]]
*[[Discrimination against autistic people]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==

* {{Cite journal |last1=Maras |first1=Katie |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361315583411 |title=Is autism linked to criminality? |last2=Mulcahy |first2=Sue |last3=Crane |first3=Laura |journal=[[Autism]] |year=2015 |volume=19 |pages= 515–516|doi=10.1177/1362361315583411 |issn=1362-3613 |access-date=23 September 2017 |issue=5|s2cid=146911671 }}
* {{Cite book |last=McGuire |first=Anne |title=Re-Thinking Autism: Diagnosis, Identity and Equality |publisher=[[Jessica Kingsley Publishers]] |year=2016b |isbn=978-1784500276 |chapter=Life without autism : a cultural logic of violence |pages=93–109|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cu8ZDAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book |last=McGuire |first=Anne |title=War on Autism: On the Cultural Logic of Normative Violence |publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |year=2016a|isbn=978-0472053124 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JNQlDAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Schmidt |first1=Volker |title=Autismus und gewalt |trans-title= Autism and violence |language = de|last2=Sachs |first2=Josef |publisher= [[Orell Füssli]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-3280038192 }}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal |last1= Collins |first1= J |last2= Horton |first2= K |last3= Gale-St Ives |first3= E |last4= Murphy |first4= G |last5= Barnoux |first5= M |title= A Systematic Review of Autistic People and the Criminal Justice System: An Update of King and Murphy (2014)| journal= J Autism Dev Disord |volume=53 |issue=8 |pages=3151–3179 |date=August 2023 |pmid=35637365 |pmc=10313547 |doi=10.1007/s10803-022-05590-3 }}
* {{cite book |veditors= |editor-first1=Alexander |editor-last1=Westphal |editor-first2=Fred R. |editor-last2=Volkmar |editor-link2= Fred R. Volkmar |editor-first3=Marc |editor-last3= Woodbury-Smith |editor-first4= Rachel |editor-last4=Loftin |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rGpEEAAAQBAJ |title= Handbook of Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law |year= 2021 |publisher= Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3030709136}}
{{Autism spectrum}}
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Autism activism]]
[[Category:Ableism]]
[[Category:Phycology]]
[[Category:Psychopathy]]