Dillogic wrote:
The Crown diagnosed him; the defense disputed it, but if you read such, they're erroneous reasons (Martin's desire for social contact was one of the points of dispute, which as we know, people with AS can desire social contact). It said this on the Wiki article some time ago and also linked to the Crown's verdict (it also linked to the defense's dispute); perhaps it was removed. His mother also said he was diagnosed with AS recently. I'll find the Crown's verdict for you (I've read it before). An IQ of 60 is allowed in the DSM-IV-TR as long as it was tested as such in the school years. Speech delay is obviously out, but then you can say he was diagnosed with HFA then [or Gillberg's for AS], which is the same thing for the most part (Hans had people with speech delays and MR too).
A lack of empathy and black and white thinking are explained in Wing's original paper on AS (as is the possibility of a speech delay and MR); egocentricity is listed in various clinical texts.
Mullen's refutation of the diagnosis was made in 1996, and I agree that it is well understood at this point in time that individuals on the autism spectrum desire social contact, not all do, and the clinical experience at that point in time of Mullen was in the not all do camp. I agree with you on that point. However the delay in language along with the IQ below 70, that was never measured above that per the record, is not indicative of Aspergers per the DSMIV used in Australia where the incident occurred.
My understanding is that the mother made the comment that he was diagnosed with Aspergers in prison, in a 2011. 60 minutes interview and used it in a personal defense of her son's innocence, however there is no documentation to back that claim up that has been provided anywhere that I have been able to find.
The last documentation that was provided was Mullen's evaluation, so it is the evidence that stands to date, per Wiki, as they require documented evidence for the facts they present.
It's highly unlikely that Mullen would meet a clinical subtype of HFA, with his level of cognitive difficulties, since an IQ above 70 is consistently required for that subtype of Autism Disorder, but considering that a person diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, under PDD NOS from 1994 to 2000, with problems in social communication alone could have met that criteria, per the editorial mistake in the DSMIV, he could of likely met that, but it's not relevant because none of the diagnosing officials mentioned it, which makes me wonder if it was even on their radar in 1996.
I agree with the black and white thinking as an associated clinical feature, but just as the lack of desire for social contact assumption has been debunked since 1994, so has the lack of empathy assumption, by current research, as some individuals on the spectrum are considered to have potential higher than normal levels of affective empathy. Doesn't mean though that none lack empathy, as that is a potential in the general population among those without any diagnosis.
Problems with cognitive empathy are more relevant per current research. MR is a co-morbid associated with ASD's, not considered part of the condition. While egocentricity is part of the anti-social personality disorder and other personality disorders, it's not part of the criteria for Autism Spectrum disorders, although spectrum disorders have been compared to a type of egocentricity that is not deliberate as a part of attempting to manipulate others, as it is described in personality disorders.
I wasn't cognizant of Martin Bryant until you brought him up, although I likely saw it somewhere on the headline news when that incident happened. In researching the individual now, it appears that he had more than his share of challenges in life, as he was identified with a potential cognitive deficit, schizophrenia, psychopathy, and finally a potential of an autism spectrum disorder.
To me it looks like he had a share of all of these things; mother nature and environmental influences don't play by strict DSM rules.
But never the less, it doesn't reasonably appear that he met the full specific criteria for aspergers per the DSMIV used in his native country of Australia. And Dr. Sales, did not appear to have a good grasp on the DSMIV criteria, per that specific disorder in those years. I suspect he may have referred to the Gilberg criteria as it was available before the DSMIV came out in 1994, during the era associated with the incident.
What's interesting to me is that the research in the year 2000 identified rampage killing as an issue focused on middle age adult males, and mental illness.
In the link below from psychology today, the issue is focused on young adult males as the main focus of the crimes, although there are still middle age men involved in some of the rampage killings in the last decade. Mental disorders, per political correctness, that Scarborough could likely take a lesson from are not mentioned at all.
The guy that wrote the article presents the viewpoint that the only thing that can reasonably be done to lower the extent of the carnage is similar to what they did in Australia after Martin Bryant, banning semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/201207/what-we-have-learned-about-rampage-killings
26 Jul 2012, 12:11 am
