Autism and violence

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Can being violent be a symptom of classic Autism, depending on the situation?



I am now very good at reading and understanding, emotions, facial cues, body languages.


But I still have problems with social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.



I an nineteen years old.


I had this problem for nineteen years.


for nineteen years, I would only talk about things that fitted my specific subjects of interest, often manifesting as a borderline obsession with a few areas and/or hobbies.





I used to have severe communication delays, severe case of Prosopagnosia, learning disorders, borderline intellectual functioning, speech delay, bizarre interests, delusions, hallucinations, painful sensory issues and self-injury behaviors from my early childhood.


I also was violent and aggressive if my routine changed when I was a young child.



I know that Autistic people don't want connection between Autism and violence, but there is a difference between attacking someone who scared you, compare to planned violence.


I was so scared as a child if my routine changed, that is why I acted it violence



Huge difference!




I did not plan any violence, I just acted with my fear of my change in routine.

Yeah, this topic comes up now and then...
The general consensus is that speculation about links between autism and violence are potentially harmful - and so people don't tend to mention it.

Though it probably does deserve some discussion. Like you say, unintended violence by autists who are scared, overwhelmed or in meltdown definitely happens.

I wonder sometimes if we ought to be more open about this, to encourage discussion of why/how this happens. It might help people such as first responders understand what they're seeing and the (typically) lack of vicious intent.

I've never been violent, even during my worst rage outbursts.

Nor have I, but from reading about kids (with classic autism and/or non-verbal in particular) I know it happens quite a lot. Often the violence is towards parents, which is sad.

I have known several children and adults who are violent and dangerous to their caregivers and parents.

Frequently it is in response to not getting what they want. I also see it as frustration in their inability to communicate what is going on. Or that whatever sensory stimulus is raging inside their brains.

Now that I have been on WP I have learned how disastrous the attempts are to making autists as NT as possible and forcing autists to speak rather than sign or other methods and other things too.

I wonder if it wouldn’t reduce the violence if autists were permitted to have more say and more choices, and more attempts to understand how they communicate.

Just my observations and what has been circling around in my brain.

It happens quite frequently with attacks on parents and teachers the most common.

Any look on any parents fb autism support site and you’ll see this.

It’s very sad usually the kids are then drugged up on schizophrenic medication that leaves them like zombies and the mothers get bullied on line by advocates calling them “martyr mums“ for daring to mention it.

Somehow a woman being beaten up in the workplace or by a male partner is unacceptable and victims are encouraged to speak out.

A woman being beaten up by their autistic son is ok and they are not supposed to be allowed to talk about it. They are condemned for doing so in many advocates eyes.

That is why I was diagnosed with Educational Autism and had some diagnosis of speech therapy, so I can learn how to speak and not use violence as a tool to communicate.


I sometimes became violent as s young child, because I would become extremely frustrated, because I had a very hard time learning social skills.



As an adult, I became very good at understanding and reading, emotions, facial cues and body languages

I was so profoundly Autistic to the point where I was simply profoundly Intellectually Disabled, had painful sensory issues, delusions, hallucinations and self-injurious behaviors from my early childhood

“Emotional Regulation” is an issue with people with executive dysfunction common on the spectrum. That emotion the person has trouble controlling could be violent ones.

Violent outbursts are not an autistic trait, but they can me manifestations of one. Life as autistic certainly presents plenty of opportunities for frustration and anger.

Thank you!

It makes sense

I was violent as a small child. I only did it when I got frustrated or had hurt feelings because I couldn't talk. In my mind I did it for attention and to get them to listen to me. My mom knew the cause of it was hurt feelings so she had to do something about my hurt feelings than doing something about the aggression. Also she had to focus on teaching me to learn how to talk so I could tell people what I wanted than getting all frustrated.

Aggression is common in kids who are non verbal or have limited communication skills. Even my mom had a non verbal autistic student who was only six and he also behaved in aggressive ways to get attention because he couldn't talk. One time he bit my mother when my school counselor showed up at her work just to tell her I had been suspended and it took my mom's attention from her student and he didn't like it so he bit her. As a result he got a time out. My mom even cussed in front of him to my school counselor when he told her about my suspension. I was like "you actually cussed in front of a student" and she said "he was autistic, he couldn't talk" and I said "so he didn't even say single words or repeated phrases?" I guess he didn't have echolalia. I had that as a child when I was learning to talk and I also did it as a way to process the information I heard. I grew out of it in my late teens or young adulthood.

I felt the same.



We both have something in common.


You and I used to have speech delay.


I feel related to you, if that is normal.




Thank you!

I think I'm fairly obviously autistic, but I'm about as far from violent as one can get. During the kind of meltdown where I lie down on the floor or my bed and thrash around (which I haven't had for quite some time), I will throw any small object I come into contact with, but that's it - and I never throw things at anyone, I'm just getting them away from me. Might be different if someone tried to touch me when I was nearing or at a meltdown, but again, all I would be doing would be trying to get them away, not actually trying to hurt them. The phrase "wouldn't hurt a fly" is very apt for me, I catch flies (they're pretty easy for me to corner in window panes, if they land on a window) and let them go outside (and stink bugs, and wasps, and any other arthropods in the house - I have a lidded plastic cup that I use to catch ones that would not be good to have in my hands for any reason).

That makes sense.

Thank you!

I shoved my siblings when I was very young sometimes when they were teasing me (typical sibling behaviour), I wasn't good at putting my frustrations with them into words until I was about 6.

I do 'hurt' myself in the sense that I hit my thigh with my fist as a coping mechanism (sensory regulation) for an almost daily sensory overload at work. The more stressful the day, the harder I hit. I never perceived this as harmful/violent, possibly due to a high pain threshold (although I'm trying to change it, I sometimes bruise myself and, as my girlfriend pointed out: how will I be doing this when I'm 75 without breaking something).

I think it is like you said: very rarely is the violence a planned act. That doesn't mean it's okay to hurt anyone, but it does provide context and it means that there are ways to prevent it from happening.