A recent study conducted by researchers at Flinders University in Australia has found no evidence to support the common belief that adults with autism are more vulnerable to being manipulated or coerced into criminal activities. The findings, published in the journal Law and Human Behavior, challenge the notion that individuals with autism are inherently less able to recognize and respond to criminal intent.
The study involved 197 participants, including 102 adults with autism and 95 neurotypical adults, who engaged in role-playing scenarios designed to subtly introduce elements of potential criminal activity. Participants were then assessed on their ability to recognize and respond to suspicious actions.
Key Findings
The results indicated that both autistic and non-autistic adults responded similarly to suspicious behavior across various scenarios. "We found that, overall, both autistic and non-autistic adults responded in similar ways to suspicious behavior across various scenarios," said study co-author Neil Brewer, a professor of psychology at Flinders University. "Importantly, autistic adults did not show lower rates of suspicion or adaptive responses when compared to their non-autistic counterparts as the scenarios unfolded. Nor did they take longer to recognize the potentially problematic nature of the interaction."
The researchers emphasized that the ability to understand others' perspectives and intentions, rather than the presence of an autism diagnosis, was the critical factor influencing vulnerability to crime. Anyone can exhibit weaknesses in "reading the minds of others" and spotting ill intent. In other words, anyone's "spidey senses" can falter in the presence of a cunning individual, and an autism diagnosis typically has nothing to do with that.
Implications for Legal Settings
The study's findings have significant implications for legal settings, where defense lawyers often argue that an autism diagnosis automatically signals a particular vulnerability to being lured into crime. The researchers caution against this assumption, advocating for formal assessments of mind-reading difficulties in autistic individuals involved in criminal cases.
"Thus, rather than defence lawyers and clinicians assuming, and arguing, that a diagnosis of autism automatically signals a particular vulnerability to being lured into crime, it is important to formally assess and demonstrate that a criminal suspect or defendant has significant mindreading difficulties that likely have rendered them vulnerable," Brewer said.
