Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. The Autism Diagnosis.- Chapter 3. Expert Evidence about Autism Spectrum Disorder.- Chapter 4. Neuroscience of Autism in the Legal Context.- Chapter 5. Trauma in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder:  An Empirically-Informed Model of Assessment and Intervention to Address the Effects of Traumatic Events.- Chapter 6. Legal Defense in Criminal Cases.- Chapter 7. Obtaining testimony from autistic people.- Chapter 8. ASD and unlawful behaviour: background.- Chapter 9. Bullying & Autism and Related Disorders.- Chapter 10. Cyber-dependent crime, autism and autistic-like traits.- Chapter 11. Violent Behavior in Autism and Asperger's Disorder.- Chapter 12. Sexual Offending and ASD.- Chapter 13. Defending Men with Autism Accused of Online Sexual Offenses.- Chapter 14. Stalking, Autism and the Law Chapter 15. The Right to Special Education.- Chapter 16. Navigating The Transition To Adulthood—Preparing For Life Under The U.S. Legislative Model.- Chapter 17. Legal Issues and Academic Accommodations in Higher Education.- Chapter 18. Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Workplace.- Chapter 19. Laws Affecting the Health, Security, Autonomy and Well-Being of People with ASD.- Chapter 20. Clinicians as Advocacy Allies for People with ASD.- Chapter 21. Psychological Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Law.- Chapter 22. Violence Risk Assessment in  Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).- Chapter 23. Autism and Operational Policing.- Chapter 24. Preventing Criminal Sexual Behavior.- Chapter 25. Violence Prevention.- Chapter 26. Service provision in forensic settings Chapter 27. Moving Forward.

About the Author

Fred R. Volkmar is the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine. An international authority on Asperger’s disorder and autism, Dr. Volkmar was the primary author of the DSM-IV autism and pervasive developmental disorders section. He has authored several hundred scientific papers and has co-edited numerous books, including Asperger Syndrome, the fourth edition of The Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, A Practical Guide for Autism: What Every Parent, Family Member, and Teacher Should Know, Evidence-Based Practices and Treatments for Children with Autism and Adolescents, and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. He is also the Editor of the five-volume Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, published by Springer.


Rachel Loftin is an autism specialist trained in school and clinical psychology. She maintains a private practice that offers diagnosis and assessment, therapy, and consultation on educational and legal cases. She is adjunct faculty in the psychiatry departments in the psychiatry departments of Northwestern and Yale University. She was previously an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center, where she was the clinical director of the autism program. Dr. Loftin completed fellowship training in developmental disorders at Yale. 


Alexander Westphal is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is based in the Division of Law and Psychiatry and has a secondary appointment at the Yale Child Study Center.  Dr. Westphal did his undergraduate degree at Bennington College, his medical degree at Brown University, and a PhD in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University.  He completed general training in psychiatry at Yale, as well as fellowships in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Westphal has a special interest in legal issues for individuals with autism and other developmental disorders, and serves regularly as an expert witness. 

Marc Woodbury-Smith is Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Biosciences Institute at Newcastle University, UK and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist. He is also Associate Investigator at the Centre for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. He trained in psychiatry in Cambridge, UK and at the Yale Child Study Center. As a psychiatrist specializing in developmental disabilities, he has worked clinically with children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for more than 20 years, and has published widely on both basic sciences (genetics) and legal aspects of ASD. He is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.