Criminal Behavior and School Discipline in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth with Autism.

The study included only youth already involved in the juvenile justice system, not a community sample of youth who were not involved. Most participants were White males, so the findings may not generalize to girls or racially and ethnically diverse groups. Autism was identified by primary school educational classification, not by clinical diagnosis, so some autistic youth with secondary classifications or clinical diagnoses outside the school system were missed. The analysis could not account for comorbid disorders or adverse childhood experiences because those variables were not in the records. Official police and court records may underestimate offending because they depend on police discretion, arrests, and court diversion. Connecticut's autism classification and school discipline practices may differ from other states, so the findings may not generalize to other states. Participants ranged widely in age, and school misbehavior and delinquency can look different across developmental stages.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that autism increases criminal risk or recidivism. This study included only youth already in the juvenile justice system, and youth with autism had lower rates of property offenses, policy violations, and suspensions than matched groups, while recidivism rates were similar.