Neil Brewer and Robyn L. Young: Crime and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Myths and Mechanisms

Crime and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Myths and Mechanisms by Neil Brewer and Robyn L. Young attempts to dispel some of the myths or stereotypes surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and criminality. They believe that bias or prejudice leads people to associate ASD with violent crimes, such as mass shootings and sex crimes. The authors place the blame for this on the public’s misunderstanding of the disorder as well as the generality that anyone who is “quirky” is thought of as “on the spectrum”. This phenomenon happens often when a significant crime like a school shooting happens. The first chapter gives the example of Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook school shooter. He was post-humously diagnosed by the media with autism, although a professional never had diagnosed him with ASD before. This haphazard way of labeling anyone who is “socially awkward”, “unusual” or “a loner” as having ASD is extremely problematic. The authors say that this could negatively affect how those with autism are treated by the public and, more importantly, the criminal justice system. The book attempts to set the record straight and show examples of empirical evidence to either confirm or negate the stereotypes that there is a link between ASD and criminal behavior. …