Research Assignment: Psychology and Asperger's Syndrome

Psychology - Asperger’s syndrome
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Asperger’s syndrome
Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a developmental and behavioral disorder, where the people have sensory issues, deficiencies in communication and social skills and this affects the way they interact with people and perceive situations. The people with AS also have repetitive interests and behaviors, while coupled with cognitive and language development issues Individuals with Asperger’s are higher functioning than those with autism, while they tend to lack social skills, they also have difficulty understanding other people’s feelings and respond inappropriately in social contexts. The characteristics of Asperger’s include difficulty in interpreting social cues impairment in using non verbal behaviors, speech impairment, difficult in forming meaningful relationships that are age appropriate (Haskins & Silva, 2006). Inability to emphasize and be sensitive to the feelings of other people makes it difficult to communicate. Asperger’s and criminal behavior
Criminal behavior is related to acts and omissions that are unlawful as they violate the laws. Among people with Asperger’s lack of empathy and deficit social awareness affects the ability of these people to respect the rules and laws. Criminal laws prohibit criminal behavior, but some lack standard legal definitions or inconsistent with the contemporary moral standards. The reaction of law enforcement officers to law violation and criminal behavior may be different depending on whether the violators suffer from mental, psychological and developmental issues.
For people with Asperger’s syndrome impulsivity, aggressive behavior, obsession interests, lack of concern for outcomes and lack of and misinterpretation of social cues place, increase the risk of people with AS committing crime.
Case studies
Haskins & Silva (2006) pointed out that that diagnosing Asperger’s has been a recent phenomenon that even mental health practitioners were not well versed on diagnosing the condition. However, the over representation of people with AS in criminal and violent activities is a concern, and there is a need to identify characteristics that place them at a higher risk of engaging in criminality. There are different conditions are associated with committing criminal activities among individuals with AS since they face many difficulties. This is especially when the individuals have compulsive behaviors and will go to any length to do what they desire regardless of the laws, regulations and social constraints of behavior.
Difficulty in understanding the dynamics of social relationships, inability to read social cues, having poor perspectives, difficulty in understanding the consequences of their behavior, and being vulnerable to exploitation are some of the factors that affect the ability of people with AS to assess situations. It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive psychological assessment of cognition to understand how the people adapt their behavior and communication skills. Since people with AS have a narrow view of relationship they face more difficulties when relating with others since they cannot understand social situations (Haskins & Silva, 2006). Additionally, there is disconnect with the social environment, since the AS individuals have weak central coherence where there are then preoccupied with certain activities. For instance, when the attention of people with ASD becomes obsessive and fixated, there is risk of engagement in some crimes like arson.
Even though, most people with AS do not commit crime or violent acts, there are concerns that there are a higher risk of violating the law that people without AS. Katz & Zemishlany (2005) reviewed three cases of people with AS and identified their inability to properly evaluate social situations and understand the other person’s point of view as causes of criminal and violent behavior. However, unlike other people they do not commit criminal acts with the intent of causing harm, as they do not understand the social codes, and may not necessarily be responsible for their actions. In some cases the motives of criminal acts may be jealousy or revenge, which may be accompanied with the violations of personal space over time.
In the study by Katz & Zemishlany (2005), the researches first case analysis focused on a 30 year old man who had experienced trouble making adjustments during school years bouncing from school to school, and he suffered frequent outburst and his behavior lacked social norms. The individual harassed a young lady over time, and he became more violent for being rejected, and lacked understanding of social codes. The researchers argued that the individual ought not to have stood trial for harassment, but rather should have been examined in a psychiatric clinic, and hospitalized because he did not act with criminal intent.
Evaluating people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine the underlying reasons for engagement in criminal activities, has not been broadly explored (Murphy, 2013). As such, risk assessment and management to minimize the risk of people with ASD offending is necessary to identify the risk management practices that improve outcomes. Even as assessment tools have previously been used to determine the risk for offending, the tools have not been applied to specific patient groups. People with impairments like high-functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome face challenges with social communication, various dimensions of thinking and reciprocal social interactions (Murphy, 2013).
In the study by Murphy (2013), the researcher used the Historical, Clinical,
Risk management HCR 20 tool to assess and rate offenders with ...