Erica Westly writes in Slate that the case of British computer enthusiast Gary McKinnon grants a glimpse of a new courtroom tactic: the “Asperger’s defense.”

McKinnon is being charged with hacking into U.S. military computers to find evidence of UFOs. His lawyers are trying to convince the European Court of Human Rights that Asperger’s syndrome prevents him from enduring the stress of extradition and a U.S. trial.

Westly says lawyers are using the defense to argue for lenient sentences in cases ranging from computer fraud to sexual misconduct and murder. McKinnon’s supporters have taken the reasoning a step further, saying he shouldn’t be locked up at all; they say it would be cruel and unusual to put someone with his social impairments in a conventional prison where he would be forced to interact with others.

“The problem with this line of reasoning is that it’s not clear where else you might put these vulnerable inmates,” she says.

(Photo from [UK] Telegraph)

From “Fresh Air” on National Public Radio:

Music critic Tim Page didn’t find out that he had Asperger’s syndrome until he was 45, three years after winning the Pulitzer Prize. He writes in his new memoir, “Parallel Play: Life As An Outsider,” that the diagnosis helped him to accept parts of his nature that were “not very changeable.”

Page says he acted out when he was young and constantly struggled to understand social norms. He found a refuge in the repeating patterns in music.

“I have this theory that Asperger’s syndrome has been hugely important for me with music, because it was the first world that made any sense to me. I didn’t really understand what was going on around me, I didn’t understand what people really wanted me to do. I was a very lost little kid. But my mom had this record player ….

“It allowed me passage into a world where everything made sense and where I felt this profound sense of being at home in the world.”

Related posts here.

From the Dallas Morning News:

When 14-year-old Thomas Hayman used a profanity in special education classroom, the reaction in his Dallas-area junior high school was swift: A police officer was called, and Thomas got a $364 ticket. Police and school officials say the school has little tolerance for disorderly conduct.

His mother, Camber Hayman, says she plans to fight the misdemeanor charge and fine. She says the police officer may not have been properly trained in how to deal with students like her son, who has Asperger’s syndrome. Officials with the Dallas Police Department say all officers receive the necessary training.

In a related Texas case, a 10-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome received a $260 ticket at school in El Paso after he repeatedly fell asleep in class, made noises in the hall, and sat down and wouldn’t get up.

‘Waves are toys from God’

From USA Today (with video):

Competitive surfer Clay Marzo is widely regarded as being among the world’s best. He’s also got Asperger’s syndrome.

His surfing peers marvel at his skills, but also are baffled by his many quirks and mannerisms, which include lots of hand-rubbing, hair-twisting and voracious eating habits.

Marzo’s impact on the sport has been so significant that major sponsors and contest directors now are changing the structure and judging of new surfing competitions to focus on the creative and expressive aspects that the goofy-footed (surf lingo for right-foot forward) surfer is bringing to the sport.

Earlier posts here.

(Photo from USA Today)

Theo Emery writes in the New York Times: The Choice Blog that applying to college can pose more hurdles for students with learning disabilities than for their nondisabled peers.

After attending a workshop titled, “Supporting the Transition to College for Students with Learning Disabilities,” at a conference of 5,000 admissions officers and counselors in Baltimore, Emery offers some suggestions for applicants with disabilities including dyslexia, ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.

• Decide whether you want to disclose your disability and take advantage of campus disability services. While it is illegal for admissions officers to ask, applicants may benefit if their disability status is known.
• Assess a college based on accommodations it is willing to make, services it will provide, and availability of programs for people with disabilities.
• Be aware of the contents of your transcript and psychoeducational evaluation, and let that information help guide your choice of where to apply.

From the Orlando [FL] Sentinel:

The College Internship Program in Melbourne, Florida, helps students with autism spectrum disorders succeed in college by working on social skills, independent living skills and time management.

The program, which costs between $30,000 and $40,000 a year, was created eight years ago by psychologist Michael MacManmon after he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. “I thought, ‘What would someone with Asperger’s who’s going to college need to be able to function in life?’” said McManmon.

The program is also available in Massachusetts, Indiana and California.

Michael Bernick writes in the San Francisco Chronicle that California State University’s East Bay campus in Hayward is launching a college experiment for people with autism, beginning this fall.

Bernick says it is hoped that the program will help people with autism find productive work. Presently, an estimated 70 percent of adults with autism in California are unemployed.

Imagine Raymond Babbitt of “Rain Man” in college. Might it not be a better alternative for him, and much less expensive for society, than institutionalization or the SSI/SSDI government system? Might he even bring unusual skills that can enrich university life for others?

Michael Bernick, former director of the California Employment Development Department, is the chair of the advisory board of the CSU East Bay autism center.