Bullying and social vulnerability of students with ASD 37Depression and aggression
Hurting people often also hurt people, and therefore it is not unlikely that
significantly depressed individuals may have thoughts of death, be it suicide or
homicide, and the school shooters (also known as “classroom avengers”) that our
society has experienced to date have had overwhelmingly similar characteristics to
those shared by individuals with ASD. Personal and psychological characteristics
include the following: mood is significantly depressed and expressed through anger,
sullen attitude, and social isolation; low tolerance for frustration and poor coping
skills to deal with emotions; appeared similar to others as children, but adults sensed
there was “something wrong” (teachers noticed these subtle differences, but par-
ents denied them); immature, socially inadequate loners with few friends; distrusts,
envies, and resents other teens who succeed in social groups; expresses boredom or
contempt for typical age-appropriate activities; rigid, inflexible mentality beyond
that of typical teens; not prone to extremes such as body piercing or tattoos, but
prefers military-style appearance that sets them apart from other students; external-
izes blame and perceives self as a victim/target of a system or group (DeBernardo
and McGee 1999).
In addition, they perceive themselves to have been rejected by their peers or
unfairly disciplined by teachers, administrators, or parents, which creates a narcissis-
tic superiority that is used to justify their aggression or violent behavior; therefore,
their motivation is revenge against those they believe have rejected them, and their
actions can be creative, well-rehearsed, and premeditated. Typical family character-
istics include: struggle to understand and connect with the child, even as early as
infant bonding and attachment complications; discipline that is inconsistent and/
or overly harsh; prevailing emotions of anger and hostility; poor sibling relation-
ships; and familiarity and proficiency with weapons that is commonplace within
the home (McGee and DeBernardo, 1999).
People don’t just “snap”; there are warning signs if someone is paying attention
that include the following: feeling victimized; deterioration of academic/work per-
formance; episodes of rage; fascination with violence, weapons, and killing; depic-
tion of violent themes through art, music, and writing; verbal threats of harming self
or others; exposure to real or imagined stressors and/or shame, ridicule, or public
humiliation; and rejection by peers or significant adults.
Helpful and harmful responses
There are unfortunately many harmful reactions that are used towards depressed
individuals with ASD, including reactions by those of family members and teachers
of the individual. These reactions may not even be done with bad intentions, but
out of lack of understanding, loss of hope, and exhaustion. They may believe the
person is only acting out or feeling depressed to get attention. In spite of this, even
if attention-seeking is part of their intention, that still is a warning that something
is not alright, and attention should be given to them. Attention-seeking behaviors