Charities alarmed as autistic man is hit by Asbo

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http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArt ... id=1580331

WoW. Anti-social Behavior Order never heard of such a thing. Sounds like a totalitarian dictate instead of a legal procedure. This amazes me that any civilized country would try to restrict a persons legal, although mildly disturbing, behavior.

Furthermore it shocks me that they are so blatantly ignoring the uncontrollable processes of autism. What’s next arresting people with Tourett’s syndrome just because they yell in a movie theatre?

There's no such thing as ASBOs here in the United States. I'm sort of shocked something like that hasn't been concocted by the current administration.

That happened in England, it appears. So, it doesn't exactly shock me. I've never heard of anything like that before.

- Ray M -

I hope no one gives them any ideas.

"The order also bans him from hitting people, . . . and damaging property."

Don't you think we are all already "banned" from hitting people and damaging property? C'mon people, that is criminal behavior! And inappropriate touching can be considered assult or sexual harrassment (depending on how the person touched interprets it).

We can't us AS as an excuse for such extreme behavior.

How bizarre.

How confusing for the guy to get a "temporary" order. I thought this kind of thing should be permanent. He shouldn't get the idea that when court order expires that it's ok to go do all those things again.

I'm not sure that it is worthy of putting him in jail, but he really needs to understand that good social behaviour requires he never do those things in public, and if he wants to do some of them in private he needs to ask and receive permission first.

I'm surprised that the therapy group has no effect or that the court order would have an effect.

What's Asbos?

Well, it's not really about using AS as an excuse for extreme behavior. Surely, we can't use AS as an excuse for such behavior, but a law like this is based on the idea that people are inherently out of control, that somehow people need to be kept in line. This is what creates paranoia in a country, and in the United States, the fears of crime are almost irrational, since the crime rate has actually dropped over the last decade. Yet, we keep on pushing for harder and harder things to control crime, so much so that now things are caught on surveillance. If you are resting in a place that is deemed suspicious, the authorities can walk right up to you and try to coax you into hitting them or running away, e.g. not leaving you alone by consistently asking whether or not you were trying to do anything suspicious or whatever. I am not saying this happens a lot, but it does happen, especially if you fit the profile for someone who might be suspicious, e.g. you have long hair, you are black, whatever.

- Ray M -

So, there you go. It's a civil order - there's no proper criminal trial or anything. And ASBOs have been misused against people with disabilities, 'sarcastic' people, people riding a bike, a woman trying to commit suicide, and so on.

I would put him in jail if he continued hitting people and damaging property.

The problem with using an ASBO to do it is that it appears to be a way to bypass the right to a trial, or any of the other usual safeguards against being wrongly convicted. Guilt is decided on balance of probability.

Also - there was a study done in schools that showed a number of kids being diagnosed with AS when they should have been diagnosed with autism because there were speech and language delays. However, Asperger's "sounds" better to kids and parents than if someone were to say "autistic" but that should not be the basis for an innacurate diagnosis. The reason that I am pointing this out is NOT that people with autism are more prone to violence BUT - my son has HFA and has significant expressive and receptive language delays. So inability to communicate effectively can lead people to be frustrated and lash out. And inability to understand language can make people appear like they are being disruptive or defiant when they may be oblivious to the demands being made on them. This does not have anything to do with IQ as a person can be very smart but have difficulties bridging that communication gap.

With some of these stories about people with AS - could it be that they have more to deal with that is not being addressed. And laws like this and the attitude of some of the Asperger's community to back away from people like this could also lead to misunderstandings that there are no difficulties for anyone on the spectrum that they can not overcome simply by willpower.

Hitting is one thing but what are inappropiate things?

This is old news. The first occurence of this type of ASBO enforcement actually included a Tourette's child being issued with an ASBO against shouting out obscenities. Another ASBO was placed on a child who squealed too loud whilst on a trampoline in his backyard, because the sounds he was making was annoying the neighbours. It was only a matter of time before an autistic was hit by one. As lowfreq50 said, it might be appropriate for some autistic behaviours, but there are many that might call for an ASBO with normal people, where it is not appropriate to issue one for an autistic. For example, an autistic child being unable to endure their clothing stripping off naked in public. How can anyone in their reasonable mind issue an ASBO for cases like that? Someone who is deliberately mooning the public for actually anti-social reasons we could condone and support.

Aspies getting ASBOs may be old news but each case is worth examining.Civil liberties have been greatly eroded in the UK.Unless we expose the idiocy of giving Aspergers people ASBOs for staring for instance,it will just go on...

agmoeie, any bright ideas for ways minors can help?