Michelle Hartley-McAndrew, MD, FAAP;^* Donald Crawford, PhD^*

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has left many people wondering whether the shooter’s diagnosis along the autism spectrum is what caused the unthinkable crime that transpired. This commentary explores moral development in both the typical and autism populations. It reviews previous studies done on the autism population regarding their understanding of right and wrong actions even when they lack theory of mind. A lack of empathy is often attributed to individuals with autism spectrum disorders, but many studies show that while they may fail to articulate another person’s point of view, they are not completely unresponsive to the distress or moral dilemmas of others. This commentary aims to dispel any misunderstanding that autism spectrum disorder equals lack of empathy, which leads to violence. It also hopes to alert the medical community treating those with autism spectrum disorders that the diagnosis of the patient may not end at autism alone. Thus other personality disorders may be present requiring intensive treatment and referral.

Key Words: Sandy Hook, shooting, Autism, Asperger disorder, theory of mind, moral development

Michelle Hartley-McAndrew, MD, FAAP;^* Donald Crawford, PhD^*
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Children’s Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center, Buffalo, NY
*Corresponding Author: The State University of New York at Buffalo, The Children’s Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center, Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, 219 Bryant Street, Buffalo NY 14222.
(Email: hartley4@buffalo.edu)

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.