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. 2022 Mar 25:13:873121.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.873121. eCollection 2022.

Vulnerability to Ideologically-Motivated Violence Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Marc R Woodbury-Smith  1 , Rachel Loftin  2 , Alexander Westphal  3 , Fred R Volkmar  4
Affiliations

Vulnerability to Ideologically-Motivated Violence Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Marc R Woodbury-Smith et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are represented among those who espouse extremist thought and have committed violent acts associated with their beliefs. Media often highlight a perpetrator's psychiatric diagnosis following acts of mass violence, which in some instances has included ASD. ASD may itself not provide useful information for understanding motivations. Instead, understanding specific traits and neuropsychological and other vulnerabilities may offer an opportunity to make sense of these very complex events.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; extremism; forensic; incels; mental health; terrorism; vulnerability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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