Could autistic adults be more vulnerable to criminal exploitation?
Researchers from Flinders University have examined the question, and this article looks to their findings.
‘It is not uncommon for defence lawyers, often supported by testimony from ‘expert’ witnesses, to argue that autistic adults have difficulty interpreting the intentions or reading the minds of others, rendering them vulnerable to being enticed into criminal activity,’ said Professor Neil Brewer, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Psychology in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.
With this in mind, himself and a team of researchers looked into the idea that people with autism could be more exposed to criminal exploitation.
Published in the American Psychological Society’s journal, Law and Human Behaviour, experts analysed 197 adults – 102 who had autism and 95 who did not – who were immersed as role players in scenarios that increasingly suggested criminal intent.
Within the scenarios individuals were asked how they would react at certain points to assess their ability to recognise and respond to suspicious behaviour.
‘We found that, overall, both autistic and non-autistic adults responded in similar ways to suspicious behaviour across various scenarios,’ Professor Brewer said. ‘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 recognise the potentially problematic nature of the interaction.’
Professor Brewer continued: ‘Our findings indicate that the ability to understand others’ perspectives and intentions – and not the presence of an autism diagnosis – was a critical factor influencing their vulnerability to crime.’
However, it is worth noting that there was a small proportion of the autistic adults involved in the study whose ability to read suspicious behaviour fell short of those without autism. A finding consistently replicated by the Flinders research team who developed the measure.
Professor Brewer remarked: ‘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.’
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