Violence and autism

According to public opinion, violent behavior is common for autistic individuals, but evidence does not support autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a predisposition to delinquency or crime.

[19] A form of extreme violence, the murder of autistim by the relatives of autistic individuals is justified by the bad public perception of autism, assimilated to a "lifelong pathology" that should be fought.

[21] The extreme violence is illustrated by the accounts of murderers who want to "kill autism" in the hope of making their loved ones "normal".

[22] Social class seems to be a predisposing factor to murder, as the infanticidal mothers did not have the financial resources to receive effective support for their disabled child.

[23] According to Anne-Sophie Ferry, "Autism is not characterized by violence or outbursts of anger", though the latter sometimes results from communication difficulties or accumulated distress.

[page needed][24] Institutionalized non-speaking autistic adolescents may express violent behaviors such as spitting or biting, without understanding their actions.

[29] Autism is associated with inappropriate behaviors, such as violence,[24] delinquency, and crime in the English,[27] French,[30] and German media.

[27] Activists for the rights of autistic people oppose the media exposure of a relation between autism and violence,[40][41] arguing that social discrimination is already a source of suffering for this population.