Autism reporting: Know the basic facts
By Robert Moran
In December 2012, a young man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and killed 26 people, 20 of them children. We later learned that he’d killed his mother before going to the school.
His many issues relating to social isolation came out in the following months, including the fact that he had Asperger’s syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder.
As an autistic person, those subsequent headlines startled me, and not just because innocent people were killed. I talked to some people online after the shooting, and this was the first time some of them had ever heard of Asperger’s syndrome. They first heard about it as a result of a mass shooting at an elementary school.
To read more click here: http://www.spj.org/quill_issue.asp?ref=2110
Sigh. While he was an Aspie, I think it’s safe to say he HD a whole host of co-existing conditions, likely one if them a mood disorder, and this is more likely to be related to his violence than his autism.
Autistics tend to be on the receiving end on violence. If they are violent, it’s typically self-harming behaviors exhibited during a meltdown.
I hate the media focusing on this.
You basically just reiterated what the rest of the article said.
That being said I do agree with you.
I really love that article. Like, REALLY love it. Mind if I reblog this (with the link to the original article?)
Sure go ahead.
Reblogged this on My Puzzling Piece: A Glance Into A Puzzling Existance and commented:
This is a great article that discusses the problems with the media reporting (or incorrectly reporting) on the relationship between Autism and Violence.
Attached is an article that is very educational and really provides clarification on this tough subject. Please, everyone should read this.