TW: ALL THE ABLEISM, LIKE OMG I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN THIS MUCH ABLEISM.
But, like, for real, anti-autism ableism, blaming autism for violence, blatant lies, misrepresentation of autism, vilification of autism, mass murder, Las Vegas shooting, seriously, be prepared to be very angry if you chose to read this.
What we have been dreading has come to pass... people are now arm-chair diagnosing the Las Vegas shooter with Asperger’s.
I am struggling for words right now due to the horrifying ableism I just read.
Here’s how the article begins:
“The explanation for the carnage in Las Vegas may be as mundane as this: Stephen Paddock may have had Asperger’s Disorder—part of the spectrum of autistic disorders.”
Yep. The author doesn’t pull any punches. He just goes goes right for it.
He goes on to say that the shooter displayed many signs of autism (you know, based on what he’s seen in the news o.O) such as not always greeting his neighbors, being gifted with numbers which is “inexplicably” linked with Asperger’s, two short marriages which Must have ended because his wives “displayed the inflexibility and obsessive thinking typical of Asperger’s Disorder” (even though he has no information about them/hasn’t talked to them), and collected firearms. Because, obviously, this Has to mean he’s autistic...
“Many patients with Asperger’s Disorder become progressively more enraged as they note their tendency to fail in relationships, to lose employment and to lack the ability for joy. And, sometimes, that feeling of being on the outside of everything makes them want to destroy everything. I know this from my 25 years practicing forensic psychiatry, including my treating many people with Asperger’s. Some of these people shared with me thoughts of harming many others, and I took the proper precautions to prevent that.”
First of all, forensic psychiatrist?! This man, the author, is involved in trials? He gets to assess whether defendants are fit to stand trial? This man is not fit to do his job. Diagnosing someone who isn’t a patient and whom the psychiatrist has no actual knowledge of is beyond reckless.
Now, for some straight up lies and vilification:
“Asperger’s Disorder or other disorders on the autism spectrum have, in fact, clearly been implicated in mass murders such as Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colorado.”
The Sandy Hook shooter had been diagnosed with Asperger’s, but his own father didn’t think that was a factor in what he did.
And the shooter being autistic has no relevance. Autistic people are no more violent than anyone else, with the exception of higher rates of self-harm.
There is no scientific evidence linking ASD with homicides or other violent crimes. In fact, studies of court records suggest that people with autism are less likely to engage incriminal behavior of any kind compared with the general population, and people with Asperger syndrome, specifically, are not convicted of crimes at higher rates than the general population (Ghaziuddin et al., 1991, Mouridsen et al., 2008, Mouridsen, 2012) [source]
Importantly, rather than being more likely to engage in offending behavior or violent behavior, individuals with ASD have been found to be at higher risk of being the victim rather than the perpetrator. Indeed, findings by Sobsey and colleagues indicate that individuals with developmental disabilities are between four and 10 times more at risk of being a victim of crime. Other studies have indicated that this group may be more than 10 times as likely to be a victim of sexual assault and more than 12 times as likely to become a victim of robbery [source]
The Virginia tech shooter had a history with the psychological field, but there are no records of a diagnosis and nothing to suggest autism. And, again, his mental illness, whatever it may have been, would not be relevant as people with mental illness are 📢 NO MORE LIKELY THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION TO BE VIOLENT/MASS MURDERERS 📢
And, the Aurora, Colorado shooter was not autistic. He was diagnosed by many psychiatrists with various diagnoses on the schizo spectrum, however, once again, this is irrelevant.
“Fewer than 5 percent of gun crimes are committed by people with mental illness; fewer than 5 percent of people with mental illnesses commit violent crimes.” [source]
Fewer than 5% of gun crimes are committed by people with mental illness.
People with mental illness make up approximately 17-25% of the population. [x, x, x, x, x]
This means that people with mental illness are LESS likely to commit gun crimes than the general populace.
“What we can say for sure is that stigmatizing people with conditions such as autism will not reduce gun violence; it will only amplify non-autistic people’s lack of ease with autistic people. Who comes up short on empathy in that scenario?” [source]
Autism does not cause gun violence.
Mental illness does not cause gun violence.
It’s time we start acknowledging this and stop scapegoating already vulnerable communities.
