No Increase in Criminal Convictions in Hans Asperger's Original Cohort

J Autism Dev Disord. 2010 Jun;40(6):774-80. doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0917-y.

No increase in criminal convictions in Hans Asperger's original cohort.

Hippler K, Viding E, Klicpera C, Happé F.

Source

Department of Clinical and Applied Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. kathrin.hippler@meduniwien.ac.at

Abstract

Hans Asperger originally used the term "autistic psychopathy" to describe his patients on the autism spectrum, leading to a possible confusion with psychopathic disorder and delinquent behaviour. We conducted a penal register search for 177 former patients of Asperger's clinic with a childhood diagnosis of "autistic psychopathy" or features of the disorder in Austria. The mean percentage of registered convictions was similar to that in the general male population of Austria over the studied time period. A qualitative assessment of offence types in Asperger's former patients suggests that the nature of offences does not differ from that in the general population. In this original cohort of Asperger's patients, convictions were no more common than in the general male population.

Comments

[Media Scholar]

It's only an abstract. Hate to think this study is valid treating a peck of pinched penny candy and blasting into a defenseless elementary school equally.

Who knows?

[John Stone]

However, they would also not have been subject to the same psychotropic medications as a modern cohort. I am not sure we can be so optimistic about the fate of the new generation.