I agree and as someone who have had autistic children & teenagers in my classrooms -at least two or three every academic year- in my teaching career it saddens me and shocks me the level of blatant ignorance displayed by some articles and commentators on media about autism. People need to inform themselves about the spectrum.
In 9 years I have never had any violent incidents carried out by autistic children in my classrooms. I only know one person -a friend who teaches in Toulouse, France- who ever experienced violence on the hands of an autistic child. He -8 years old at the time- bite her arm. With the right treatment and personal attention in the three years since that happened he has not done this to anyone else again and he is doing quite well in his emotional development.
I think professinials experiances with any population is obviously influenced by setting
We all know most suffering with autisim does not translate to future mass shooter.
However I had both inpt and special placement where I worked and there was a profound amount of violence.
It is a result of acuity IMO.
Acuity determines placement - and depending on what setting anyone is working does result in different experiences
I think autisms role in some mass shooting episodes is becoming clearer as a result of a couple of things.
Diagnosis studying the illness leads to greater understanding of the illness.
However, Elliot ROgers - directly because he was HF gave amazing insight into (maifeto) what the life of one suffering experiances .
Obviously the more acute don't have that capacity - I found it very educational in terms of learning how the world is experienced by those afflicted.
The Cascade mall shooters history was also informing .
It is hard to study and learn about any mental disorder when the primary symptom is an inability to communicate how life is being experienced.
Like it or not (smile) I have empathy for all of them . They are sick -- imo == it is sadly that simple.
Does that equate with forgiveness kinda
its real result is wishing there was money to
place these folks in long term mental treatment for the rest of their lives .
Should they be free on the streets nope
Should they punished for being sick nope
Again I ask -- dementia can be mean stuff
anyone wanna throw gma in the slammer .
In this day and age in conjunction with the illiness itself there is much more
exposure to violence via the internet.
so.......to ... following the core problem of the spectrum --- being alone, repetition etc it makes some sense that isolating in a room playing around with images and discussion etc of machine guns makes some sense.
I think for some folks they are seeing a 19 year old on the outside . On the inside is
an individual far younger .
Young kids are more malleable than older ones .
Am I saying folks suffering with the illiness are violent. I am not.
I do think however, that the profound rejection the individual with autism experiences does result , understandably in much resentment and feelings of anger and rage.
It is a mean world . The "meanness" transcends all environments.
It is relentless and ever present in any setting.
Psychotic folks are not present enough to "feel " rejection.
Generally for the mood disorders the rejection is not constant.
There are differences.
I think a lot of it (for older folks) is the notion of crazy or not crazy .
Trained or younger folks are more aware of
the subtleties and differences between them
In older generations it appears there is
a lot of pleading insanity is a game.
We do need to acknowledge IMO that there
are instances and people that do horrible things solely as a result of being sick
That is just a reality.
It is the human condition.
And there is still much we dont know.
The release of the 30 or so police calls I think might be very telling in that they willl provide a historic if you will , view into
the severity and progression of this mans illness.
I remain haunted by the call to the father stating (not for a court or a doctor) that their was uncertainty as it relates to wondering if murdering 17 and shooting 14 is
"bad"
I can only relate that to a young young child
it is a really open window into this guys lack of awareness of what is acceptable socially
THE hallmark of the illness in and of itself................................
