Are autistic people more violent, on average? The results are in, as they often say on the TV.
http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(17)30150-8/abstract
Summary:
15% less likely to be violently criminal than other people. (That's what a rate of 0.85 means).
The exception was when autistic people also had ADHD or a conduct disorder.
So, it seems autistic people are, on average, more peaceful than other people. 15% more peaceful. This adds to the data we already have on autistic people being generally more moral, more honest, more diligent. Generally more able to detect the first signs of danger in the environment, thanks to different hearing and vision.
Tell me again how removing us from the gene pool will help everyone?
Glad of the marvellous peace-campaigning autistic friends and colleagues. Glad of the many patient loving autistic parents and carers. Glad of the wise and noble autistic friends aplenty who share my life. We are generally a force for peace, for progress, for social responsibility. Yes, exceptions will apply. The exceptions are very visible, and it's easy to think they are 'autism'. But, there are exceptions for all kinds of people. Short people, tall people, people with size 7 feet, people living in towns beginning with the letter P. Saying violence is part of autism is simply incorrect. Violence isn't part of the diagnostic criteria. I wonder how many autistic people have had to live a terrible life, because we've had autism and conduct disorder mixed up, for example? Do we need better training for diagnostic teams, so they can 'unpick' autism from other things, and assign behaviours to the correct thing?
Dear media, please get a grip on what is autism, and what is a combination of things, or something quite different. Autistic people are already hugely more likely to be victims of crime, victims of fraud, assault, rape, bullying, ostracism. Autistic people are already likely to die some 16 years earlier than others.
This mostly peaceful and gentle population deserves better.
