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Abstract: 

David, a 24-year-old white male with a history of Asperger’s Disorder (AD), was charged in federal court with possessing child pornography, based on pictures and videos found on computer hard drives in his possession. David was also charged by state authorities with attempted sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. David’s case, and others involving defendants suffering from Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) such as AD, present a unique array of challenges to those involved in litigation and evaluation of sexual offense cases. This article explorex the range of issues and considerations involved in evaluating these cases, and discusses the mechanisms through which symptoms of PDDs (and in particular AD) can place individuals at risk to engage in sexually inappropriate behaviors, including Internet child pornography and hands-on sex offenses involving child and adolescent victims. The article discusses the nature and diagnostic criteria of PDDs and AD, examines how these behavioral symptoms relate to criminal behavior in general and sex offending in particular.and provides guidance for evaluators and legal professionals involved in cases involving diagnosed or potential PDDs.

Keywords: social interaction and communication deficits; risk assessment; treatment; sentence mitigation

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