Citation

Westphal A, Allely C. J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Dr. Westphal is Assistant Professor, Division of Law and Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Allely is Reader in Forensic Psychiatry, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Publisher American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

10.29158/JAAPL.003896-19

PMID

31744856

Abstract

The relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and violence is poorly understood. Several violence risk factors are either modified by or are unique to ASD; clinicians conducting violence risk assessment of people with ASD must consider these factors. An ASD-specific risk assessment tool is clearly needed. In the absence of this, clinicians often use risk assessment tools designed for other populations, highlighting the importance of establishing their predictive validity in people with ASD. Girardi and colleagues have taken a very important step in this process in their paper, "Assessing the Risk of Inpatient Violence in Autism Spectrum Disorder," by examining whether the Historical Clinical Risk Management-20, Version 3, can predict violence in male patients with ASD in a forensic setting. Further research is needed to design a risk assessment tool specific to ASD and its unique features.

© 2019 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Language: en