Objectives
• To understand the relationship of learning disabilities and violence
• To understand how rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities (LD) / Mental Retardation (MD)
Usually label of mental retardation is used but it does not give a well impression. Who are learning disabled? Means subaverage general intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period and is associated with impairment of one or more of the following:
(1) Maturation
(2) Learning
(3) Social adjustment
LD / MR and crimes
One thing is very important to understand that usually learning disabled do not commit crime. MR and crimes are not correlated like ASPD and crime have deep connection. But sexual offences are slightly rare because they are not competent enough to understand social rules. Sexual offences are of minor severity like indecent body exposure e.t.c.
Violent Crimes
Even though crimes committed by LD are rare, these could be very serious like murder, causing grievous bodily harm e.t.c. as we discussed in one of our previous lectures that not just anger and aggression but rage is the basic reason of any such serious crime.
How rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
In one of our previous lectures, we have discussed this issue in detail that how different factors contribute to the eruption of rage.
• Learning disabled child is unwanted and unloved
• Feels the societal death wish
• The Learning Disabled always set a typical poor “Smile” on their face. Assuring others that we are not bad, so please do not hate us.
• Frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse and violence by significant figures of life.
• They are always considered the “shame of family” and kept hidden
• Unexpressed anger and aggression over a long time and inhumane treatment of parents, family and other society members leads to the build up of rage.
• So sudden unexpected eruption of rage can result in murder, rape, other violent offences
Autism / Aspergers
Asperger's syndrome is on the autistic continuum but unlike autistic disorder, there are no significant delays in language, cognition, or self-help skills. Communications are generally one-sided; patients proclaim rather than interact.
A development disorder whose essential features include:
Socially naïve, sustained impairment from mild to severe, in social interaction Restricted, repetitive patterns of interest, behaviour and activities (obsessive interests) Aspergers are usually quite intelligent Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. So, Feels depressed and anxious.
Aspergers and violence
Aspergers usually do not commit violence but their behaviours are for other people because they are unable to understand the unwritten societal rules. Their sexual offences could be things like indecent exposure, masturbation in public, inappropriate touching etc.
Their physical violence could be random attacks and may vary in intensity. Aspergers are anxious because they can not easily adjust to society so as a consequence feel anxiety and some time this state can lead to some illegal behaviours like drug use. Some time they can suspicious and paranoid and this feeling can pave the path for some kind of offence. Their most of crimes are misunderstandings based Another frequent reason is exploitation by others Erratic behaviors Unpredictable temper tantrums Disproportionate responses could cross criminal threshold (like some time give you a vibrant smile if you slap them on face and some time can attack you if you smile). If they have obsessions that involve some kind of illegal activity then they can commit Ritualistic crimes.
• To understand how rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities (LD) / Mental Retardation (MD)
Usually label of mental retardation is used but it does not give a well impression. Who are learning disabled? Means subaverage general intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period and is associated with impairment of one or more of the following:
(1) Maturation
(2) Learning
(3) Social adjustment
LD / MR and crimes
One thing is very important to understand that usually learning disabled do not commit crime. MR and crimes are not correlated like ASPD and crime have deep connection. But sexual offences are slightly rare because they are not competent enough to understand social rules. Sexual offences are of minor severity like indecent body exposure e.t.c.
Violent Crimes
Even though crimes committed by LD are rare, these could be very serious like murder, causing grievous bodily harm e.t.c. as we discussed in one of our previous lectures that not just anger and aggression but rage is the basic reason of any such serious crime.
How rage builds up in individuals with Learning Disabilities
In one of our previous lectures, we have discussed this issue in detail that how different factors contribute to the eruption of rage.
• Learning disabled child is unwanted and unloved
• Feels the societal death wish
• The Learning Disabled always set a typical poor “Smile” on their face. Assuring others that we are not bad, so please do not hate us.
• Frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse and violence by significant figures of life.
• They are always considered the “shame of family” and kept hidden
• Unexpressed anger and aggression over a long time and inhumane treatment of parents, family and other society members leads to the build up of rage.
• So sudden unexpected eruption of rage can result in murder, rape, other violent offences
Autism / Aspergers
Asperger's syndrome is on the autistic continuum but unlike autistic disorder, there are no significant delays in language, cognition, or self-help skills. Communications are generally one-sided; patients proclaim rather than interact.
A development disorder whose essential features include:
Socially naïve, sustained impairment from mild to severe, in social interaction Restricted, repetitive patterns of interest, behaviour and activities (obsessive interests) Aspergers are usually quite intelligent Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. So, Feels depressed and anxious.
Aspergers and violence
Aspergers usually do not commit violence but their behaviours are for other people because they are unable to understand the unwritten societal rules. Their sexual offences could be things like indecent exposure, masturbation in public, inappropriate touching etc.
Their physical violence could be random attacks and may vary in intensity. Aspergers are anxious because they can not easily adjust to society so as a consequence feel anxiety and some time this state can lead to some illegal behaviours like drug use. Some time they can suspicious and paranoid and this feeling can pave the path for some kind of offence. Their most of crimes are misunderstandings based Another frequent reason is exploitation by others Erratic behaviors Unpredictable temper tantrums Disproportionate responses could cross criminal threshold (like some time give you a vibrant smile if you slap them on face and some time can attack you if you smile). If they have obsessions that involve some kind of illegal activity then they can commit Ritualistic crimes.
