Commentary: Treatment and Violence Risk Mitigation in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Individuals

The article by Lerner and colleagues will allow forensic clinicians to gain more understanding of how the specific cognitive deficits in persons with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) relate to the propensity of these individuals to engage in cognitive distortions associated with violence. These deficits are relevant to a variety of forensic evaluations of matters such as criminal responsibility. We argue that they also have implications for the treatment and risk mitigation of individuals with HFASD who have engaged in violent behavior.