In Could Amanda Knox Have an Autism Spectrum Disorder? TIME adds its influential voice to those who propagate the myth that "many with autism are highly intelligent".
Amanda Knox is the 23-year-old American college student who was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy in 2007. The TIME article makes a plausible case for the proposition that some of the evidence used to convict Ms Knox, including a forced confession, and some seemingly callous behavior, may indicate an un-diagnosed Asperger's Disorder condition rather than evidence of guilt. That possibility has become particularly important in light of revelations that DNA trace evidence used to convict Ms Knox may, after review by independent experts, be considered unreliable.
Amanda Knox is the 23-year-old American college student who was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy in 2007. The TIME article makes a plausible case for the proposition that some of the evidence used to convict Ms Knox, including a forced confession, and some seemingly callous behavior, may indicate an un-diagnosed Asperger's Disorder condition rather than evidence of guilt. That possibility has become particularly important in light of revelations that DNA trace evidence used to convict Ms Knox may, after review by independent experts, be considered unreliable.
In elaborating on the Asperger's Disorder possibility, and explaining some aspects of Ms Knox's behavior including the confession, the TIME article states:
"like many autistic people, Knox was highly intelligent but also extremely naïve and gullible:
"She's the smartest person you'd ever know" but "dumb as a rock" when it comes to "street sense," [her stepfather said]. In conversations with her friends and family, a portrait emerges of a person with a childlike innocence. She was, as her mother, Edda, puts it, "oblivious to the dark side of the world.""
"E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behaviour (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood."
The lack of clinically significant cognitive developmental delay does not necessarily mean that a person has high intelligence but it does leave that possibility open. The article provided no studies to indicate that many persons with Asperger's are highly intelligent.
Where the article is flat out wrong though is in stating that many persons with "autism" are highly intelligent. That information is contradicted by the Canadian Psychological Association 2006 brief to a Canadian Senate Committee stated that:
• Cognitive impairment is present in about 80% of persons diagnosed with Autism and general intellectual functioning is most often below average. Persons diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder have average to above average intellectual functioning. [underlining added]
As noted above the CPA reference to autism is a reference to the autism spectrum disorders except Asperger's.
The United States Centers for Disease Control, the CDC, has conducted two surveys which looked at the entire spectrum of autism disorders, including those with Aspergers and found that:
"Data show a similar proportion of children with an ASD also had signs of intellectual disability than in the past, averaging 44% in 2004 and 41% in 2006."
Contrary to the view, expressed by TIME, that many persons with autism are highly intelligent, the US National Institute of Mental Health states with respect to Autism Spectrum Disorders in the section titled Problems That May Accompany ASD:
"Mental retardation. Many children with ASD have some degree of mental impairment. When tested, some areas of ability may be normal, while others may be especially weak. For example, a child with ASD may do well on the parts of the test that measure visual skills but earn low scores on the language subtests." [underlining added]
If Amanda Knox does in fact have an Asperger's Disorder, and if the Disorder casts doubt on the confession obtained from her and provides an alternative explanation for the behavior that was used to convict her then I certainly hope the issue is fully explored. To that end TIME's powerful voice could be of substantial value in overturning a possible wrongful conviction for murder. That would be a great accomplishment if all those developments play out as indicated. In reaching such a conclusion though it is unnecessary for TIME to proceed by promoting the myth that many persons with autism are highly intelligent. This myth, while pleasant for many to embrace, in fact obscures the very serious challenges faced by the vast majority of persons with Autistic Disorder who in fact are also cognitively impaired or intellectually disabled.
TIME with its great influence should be more careful in how it portrays autism, including Autistic Disorder, and the challenges, including intellectual disabilities, faced by persons with Autistic Disorder, to the world.
TIME with its great influence should be more careful in how it portrays autism, including Autistic Disorder, and the challenges, including intellectual disabilities, faced by persons with Autistic Disorder, to the world.
