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On Feb. 21, 2023, 17-year-old autistic student Brendan Depa brutally attacked Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida. Naydich survived the attack after witnesses pulled Depa off of her body, and Depa was then sentenced to five years in state prison. Depa has numerous psychological impairments — including one uniquely violent disorder — in addition to autism.
Many famously bright people, including Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, are widely believed to have had a high-functioning form of autism, and their unique gifts have helped move humanity forward. At the same time, many autistic individuals also suffer from bouts of confusion or even rage and often feel overwhelmed by their emotions, whether those emotions are positive or negative.
Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence dissects the media narrative surrounding Brendan Depa’s case and autism more broadly, and defends the rights of autistic Americans.
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The following is an excerpt from the above video:
Now, that woman suffered greatly, and now Depa is going to suffer greatly, and I’d say it’s not because of his own failings, but because of those of the school and the judicial system. Now, while that’s a conversation on its own, well, what I can tell you is that it is important to highlight now that this is not autism in action, notwithstanding what the headlines say. This is uninformed media wielding autism in an ignorant way that harms autists more than helps us.
Check the record. Depa was 17 years old and diagnosed with autism, yes, and also ADHD, as 70% of individuals with autism tend to have a comorbidity of ADHD, just like myself. But Depa was also diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder. That means he’s prone to repeated sudden bouts of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior and outbursts. The psychologist retained by his attorneys also found him to be schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations, concluding that he was not competent to proceed. The court-appointed psychologist testified that Depa posed a danger to himself and others and should be placed in a secure facility.
This kid’s disorders are a problem, yes, but his problems are not of his own making, and they’re not because he is autistic. News flash, autism doesn’t make one violent. Despite the public opinion that is quite uninformed, there is no predisposition to criminality or violence among the autistic. In fact, we’re far more likely to be victimized, to be sexually abused, to be bullied, than we are to engage in violence ourselves.
