Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion National Dialogue Hurting Or Helping?

You can often tell who is kind of prone to wackadoo things.

This guy didn't just snap. He planned and went hunting for little kids.

If you listen to people, you can generally find out who is "off". I know of one individual in my area who is going to warrant further observation in the future.

And he's not the most socially awkward.

The problem is generally psychopathy/sociopathy, not autism.

Although, I talked to a teacher last night who watched an aggressive kid with autism get pepper sprayed.

So, there is some general association with autism and violence in the teacher community already. That's impulse control.

Killers with multiple weapons and a strategic plan for mass murder generally don't have a problem with impulse control.

Yes!! Exactly... which will make the problem worse, because diagnoses lead to help and support, which lead to reduction in impulsive, socially ostracizing behaviours that create misconceptions.

SIGH


YES. This. (x 1,000)

This has been making the internet rounds. I thought it might be relevant here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...ntal-illness-conversation_n_2311009.html

Oh, look!

A future highly intelligent threat to humanity.

I think that people with "ODD" and "Intermittent Explosive Disorder" generally need to make a decision to engage in pro-social behavior.

They have to want to behave and deal with their emotions in a non-threatening, non-abusive manner.

This is different than psychopaths/sociopaths, however. They are just missing a certain internal regulation system entirely. I think they use the part of their mind that deals with "things" to deal with "people" and operate accordingly.

They can be trained and learn to avoid punishment, but they are never going to be normal, in the sense of being able to properly relate to people. Generally, this means no killing small animals, no killing people, no terroristic threats, etc.

His mother, who knew him better them anyone else, did not see it coming.

That's the scary part. But did she think to look for it? Do we ever? Was she blinded by love for her son? Aren't we all?

(On the other hand, what percentage of kids actually go the full distance that AL did?)

Mk13 - I don't know what the others will say but I wouldn't back off on appointments. That's the last thing your child needs and in the long run there is safety in numbers, so to speak.

oh, I won't ... I was thinking more in general. I personally don't give a "beep" about what others think about me or my kids.

You haven't spend enough time around juvenile delinquents and their families if you give full credibility to mothers without knowing any other details about the relationship and history of the guy.

One of the attorneys in my office tossed mommykins out when she was not getting the point that her kid was not the victim.

You get the feel for who you can do business with and who you can't. For instance, one mother calls the police on her son when he goes ODD. I like her and generally trust her reports because he's just being a violent jerk.