Research Assignment: Psychology and Asperger's Syndrome

Psychology - Asperger’s syndrome
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Asperger’s syndrome
Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a developmental and behavioral disorder, where the people have sensory issues, deficiencies in communication and social skills and this affects the way they interact with people and perceive situations. The people with AS also have repetitive interests and behaviors, while coupled with cognitive and language development issues Individuals with Asperger’s are higher functioning than those with autism, while they tend to lack social skills, they also have difficulty understanding other people’s feelings and respond inappropriately in social contexts. The characteristics of Asperger’s include difficulty in interpreting social cues impairment in using non verbal behaviors, speech impairment, difficult in forming meaningful relationships that are age appropriate (Haskins & Silva, 2006). Inability to emphasize and be sensitive to the feelings of other people makes it difficult to communicate. Asperger’s and criminal behavior
Criminal behavior is related to acts and omissions that are unlawful as they violate the laws. Among people with Asperger’s lack of empathy and deficit social awareness affects the ability of these people to respect the rules and laws. Criminal laws prohibit criminal behavior, but some lack standard legal definitions or inconsistent with the contemporary moral standards. The reaction of law enforcement officers to law violation and criminal behavior may be different depending on whether the violators suffer from mental, psychological and developmental issues.
For people with Asperger’s syndrome impulsivity, aggressive behavior, obsession interests, lack of concern for outcomes and lack of and misinterpretation of social cues place, increase the risk of people with AS committing crime.
Case studies
Haskins & Silva (2006) pointed out that that diagnosing Asperger’s has been a recent phenomenon that even mental health practitioners were not well versed on diagnosing the condition. However, the over representation of people with AS in criminal and violent activities is a concern, and there is a need to identify characteristics that place them at a higher risk of engaging in criminality. There are different conditions are associated with committing criminal activities among individuals with AS since they face many difficulties. This is especially when the individuals have compulsive behaviors and will go to any length to do what they desire regardless of the laws, regulations and social constraints of behavior.
Difficulty in understanding the dynamics of social relationships, inability to read social cues, having poor perspectives, difficulty in understanding the consequences of their behavior, and being vulnerable to exploitation are some of the factors that affect the ability of people with AS to assess situations. It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive psychological assessment of cognition to understand how the people adapt their behavior and communication skills. Since people with AS have a narrow view of relationship they face more difficulties when relating with others since they cannot understand social sit...