I was alarmed when I heard that Elliot Rodgers had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. That was one of the first things I heard about Adam Lanza after he killed 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut.
The media gloms onto a diagnosis in an effort to make sense of the unexplainable, the incomprehensible. Unfortunately, it has the effect of casting others with the diagnosis in a very negative light. When unenlightened people hear a child has Asperger’s syndrome, or a future school, or employer, the word may cast aspersions on those who have the diagnosis. Accommodations? Why might you be needing accommodations?
When I saw the videos of Rodgers, I said to my kids, “He can’t have Asperger’s syndrome. He doesn’t strike me as a person with Autism.” He does strike me as a person who is very seriously mentally disturbed.
I could be wrong, this could just be Asperger’s in its worst form, but I don’t think so. If he did have Asperger’s syndrome, it almost certain that it is comorbid with other conditions. When my daughter was placed in an autism classroom, I became aware that having autism does not insulate you from other insults to the brain and body. Mary had classmates who were also blind, also epileptic, and/or mentally impaired. Mary has very mild cerebral palsy and severe learning disabilities, along with autism. When two or more conditions are present, they are said to be comorbid. My daughter had autism and the comorbid conditions of learning disabilities and cerebral palsy.
Adam Lanza’s father said that he doesn’t believe that Asperger’s Syndrome was the cause, that other mental problems were the issue. (http://time.com/19957/adam-lanzas-violence-wasnt-typical-of-aspergers/).
Elliott Rodgers may have Asperger’s Syndrome, but in my opinion it is very clearly comorbid with severe mental illness. We may find out that he was misdiagnosed, as some claim about Adam Lanza.
annkilter 
I think it speaks volumes that there are hundreds of thousands of people with Asperger’s Syndrome you DON’T commit senseless acts of violence
*Who
Yes. This was a sinister stew of mental illness, privilege, self-centered, hate, and maybe asperger’s, among other things. Because there are millions of people with mental illness who also do not commit acts of violence.
Thanks for writing about this. I, too, was alarmed, not because I worry about Autism; I have never seen an autistic child that I feared, but because of other’s perception of my son. You made a great point about people with ASD also being affected by anything else that can affect anyone, including serious mental health issues.
I think it’s a message that needs to be heard – our children can have problems in addition to autism. On the other hand, they can also have talents and abilities in addition to autism, which are not necessarily connected to autism, but connected to their being human, and the genetic offspring of their parents.
Thanks for writing about this Ann!
What others have said. Thanks for sharing this, and for helping to raise awareness of the fact that autism isn’t responsible for violence/misery/all the problems of the world.
–AmandaQuirky