The Law, Autism and Sexuality
I came across this book about Autism and Sexuality while searching for information on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and sex crimes. Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more individuals with ASD being arrested for sex crimes. I’ve been on a quest to make myself much more knowledgeable about the subject.
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The book, The Autism Spectrum, Sexuality and the Law: What every parent and professional needs to know, is part personal narrative and part educational. It is co-authored by an individual who was arrested for possession of child pornography, a psychologist specialized in ASD and a therapist specialized in sexuality and ASD.
The Story
The book starts with the story of the investigation of Nick by the Federal government.
This part of the story is very familiar to me. I hear it often from my clients. The manner in which the feds enter a home and talk to the suspect is routine and unchanging.
What was new to me was this story from the perspective of someone with ASD and how he was affected by the traditional police policies.
The book then goes on to share Nick’s history and how he finally was diagnosed with ASD as an adult.
There are two chapters, one each, from Nick’s parents. Again, this perspective is common in my work with family members. But to hear it under the frame of ASD adds to the story. The pain of his parents is palpable. A pain, I imagine, many parents go through when their child is facing very serious consequences for very serious actions.
As Nick’s father is a law professor, his chapter provides excellent resources from a legal perspective as well.
Beyond Autism and Sexuality: The Law
The subsequent chapters are written by professionals with the purpose to educate the reader about ASD. The symptoms and how those symptoms can predispose someone with ASD to troubles with the law.
The final chapters discuss the fact that nearly everyone, parents, teachers, etc, discounts the fact that individuals with ASD are sexual beings. This means they are frequently not taught sexual education as non ASD children are. There is an assumption that they will not have the same desires.
Obviously, this assumption is inaccurate.
Frequently, when the education is not provided, they will turn to the same place we all turn to, the internet.
Using the internet for sexual education is fraught with challenges for everyone. Even more so for individuals with ASD due to some of their challenges with social interaction and theory of mind.
The Takeaway
While I did not learn as much from this book as I was hoping, I still believe it is an extremely useful resource. I can envision suggesting this book to the families of the individuals we work with who have family members with ASD whose behavior crosses legal boundaries and gets them involved with the criminal justice system.
Update April 2022: For a related review from another therapist’s perspective, see Eli Irving’s review of this book.
Update May 2022: Related research articles for sentencing reports and forensic psychological investigations.
This post contains affiliate links. The author or blog owner may earn a commission if you make a purchase using these links.
Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? Consult with a professional.
Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.
Are you looking for more reputable, data-backed information on sexual addiction? The Mitigation Aide Research Archive is an excellent source for executive summaries of research studies.
