---
title: "Psych News Alert: Defendants With Asperger's Need Court's Understanding"
description: The criminal-justice system often has a hard time understanding defendants with Asperger’s syndrome because of the nature of their verbal an...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/stressed%20woman%20red%20hair_67726552-Jun-24-2025-05-21-22-1506-PM.jpg
---

 10/31/12 12:00 AM

# Defendants With Asperger's Need Court's Understanding

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html)

| [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/stressed%20woman%20red%20hair_67726552-Jun-24-2025-05-21-21-2600-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=stressed%20woman%20red%20hair_67726552-Jun-24-2025-05-21-21-2600-PM.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/stressed%20woman%20red%20hair_67726552-Jun-24-2025-05-21-21-2600-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

The criminal-justice system often has a hard time understanding defendants with Asperger’s syndrome because of the nature of their verbal and psychiatric symptoms, maintains Madelon Baranoski, Ph.D., M.S.N., an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. “There is a disparity between their verbal capacity and their practical behavior,” she said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law in Montreal last week. “They don’t get idioms or context, and this ‘odd-yet-normal’ presentation is seen by the court as arrogant and defiant.” An obsessive focus on vocabulary coupled with mood lability and a vulnerability to anxiety, depression, and paranoia can present a serious problem if judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys are unaware of Asperger’s manifestations. A better understanding by courtroom participants (including the defendant) of Asperger’s and other autism spectrum disorders might lead to disposition at lower levels of charges and better outcomes for the patient/defendant, she said.

Read more in about Asperger’s syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders in *Psychiatric News* [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=481203)  and [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1384384) .

(image: Jaimie Duplass/Shutterstock.com)

[autism spectrum disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism-spectrum-disorder), [mental health courts](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health-courts), [forensic psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/forensic-psychiatry), [competency](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/competency), [Asperger's syndrome](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/aspergers-syndrome)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/autistic%20aboy_75904627-Jun-24-2025-04-16-48-0585-PM.jpg?height=200&name=autistic%20aboy_75904627-Jun-24-2025-04-16-48-0585-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/autism-spectrum-disorder-proposed-for.html)

[adults with autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adults-with-autism), [DSM-5](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/dsm-5), [Asperger's disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/aspergers-disorder)

## [Autism Spectrum Disorder Proposed for DSM-5 Would Cover Those With Asperger's](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/autism-spectrum-disorder-proposed-for.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 1/20/12 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/01/autism-spectrum-disorder-proposed-for.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_105784535-Jun-24-2025-05-30-25-3752-PM.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_105784535-Jun-24-2025-05-30-25-3752-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/proposed-dsm-5-criteria-for-autism.html)

[autism spectrum disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism-spectrum-disorder), [DSM-5](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/dsm-5)

## [Proposed DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder Captures Most Current Patients](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/proposed-dsm-5-criteria-for-autism.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 10/2/12 12:00 AM

Most children who have received a diagnosis of either autism, Asperger’s, or pervasive...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/proposed-dsm-5-criteria-for-autism.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/gay%20wedding-2_105876656-Jun-24-2025-03-54-19-6153-PM.jpg?height=200&name=gay%20wedding-2_105876656-Jun-24-2025-03-54-19-6153-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/06/apa-applauds-court-same-sex-marriage.html)

[APA](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/apa), [Jeffrey Lieberman](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jeffrey-lieberman), [American Psychiatric Association](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/american-psychiatric-association), [same-sex marriage](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/same-sex-marriage), [gay marriage](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gay-marriage)

## [APA Applauds Court's Same-Sex Marriage Rulings](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/06/apa-applauds-court-same-sex-marriage.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/26/13 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/06/apa-applauds-court-same-sex-marriage.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T17:22:34.736Z",
  "datePublished" : "2012-10-31T04:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Defendants With Asperger's Need Court's Understanding",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/stressed%20woman%20red%20hair_67726552-Jun-24-2025-05-21-22-1506-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/10/defendants-with-asperger-need-court.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```