Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:27:43.375Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 9 - The Role of Subthreshold Neurodevelopmental Disorder in Offending Behaviour

from Section 1 - An Overview: Definitions, Epidemiology and Policy Issues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2023

By
Eddie Chaplin  and
Jane M. McCarthy
Edited by
Jane M. McCarthy ,
Regi T. Alexander  and
Eddie Chaplin
Jane M. McCarthy
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and University of Auckland
Regi T. Alexander
Affiliation:
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and University of Hertfordshire
Eddie Chaplin
Affiliation:
Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University
Get access

Summary

The study of subthreshold neurodevelopmental disorders (STNDs) and the implications for future health, social and criminal justice services is in its infancy. Current research points towards increased vulnerability to a number of risk factors that are likely to impact both the individual and future service demand. Offenders who meet diagnostic criteria for a specific neurodevelopmental disorder are often shown to have more similarities than differences to offenders with STNDs. As well as communication and adaptive problems, similarities also include higher rates of mental disorder and increased vulnerability to suicide and self-harm. Within STNDs there exists a wide variation in presentation which may be atypical. The future study of STNDs requires a coordinated strategy and agreement as to a common definition using a dimensional approach.

Keywords

neurodevelopmental disordersoffendingsubthresholdautistic traitsborderline intellectual functioningattention and hyperactive symptoms
Type
Chapter
Information
Forensic Aspects of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
A Clinician's Guide
 , pp. 101 - 111
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition: DSM-5. American Psychiatric Association, 2013.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. International Classification of Diseases 11th revision. 2022. Available at: www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases.Google Scholar
Hughes, N. Understanding the influence of neurodevelopmental disorders on offending: utilizing developmental psychopathology in biosocial criminology. Criminal Justice Studies 2015; 28(1): 39–60.Google Scholar
McCarthy, J, Chaplin, E, Underwood, L, Forrester, A, Hayward, H, Sabet, J, et al. Characteristics of prisoners with neurodevelopmental disorders and difficulties. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 2016; 60(3): 201–6.Google Scholar
Billstedt, E, Anckarsäter, H, Wallinius, M, Hofvander, B. Neurodevelopmental disorders in young violent offenders: overlap and background characteristics. Psychiatry Research 2017; 252: 234–41.Google Scholar
Hilton, NZ, Ham, E, Green, MM. The roles of antisociality and neurodevelopmental problems in criminal violence and clinical outcomes among male forensic inpatients. Criminal Justice and Behavior 2017; 45(3): 293–315.Google Scholar
McEwan, TE, Strand, S. The role of psychopathology in stalking by adult strangers and acquaintances. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2013; 47(6): 546–55.Google Scholar
McCarthy, J, Chaplin, E, Forrester, A, Underwood, L, Hayward, H, Sabet, J, et al. Prisoners with neurodevelopmental difficulties: vulnerabilities for mental illness and self-harm. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 2019; 29(5–6): 308–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Underwood, L, Forrester, A, Chaplin, E, McCarthy, J. Prisoners with neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour 2013; 4(1–2): 17–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HM Inspectorate of Probation, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Care Quality Commission. A joint inspection of the treatment of offenders with learning disabilities within the criminal justice system – phase 1 from arrest to sentence. 2014. Available at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/joint-inspection-of-the-treatment-of-offenders-with-learning-disabilities-within-the-criminal-justice-system/.Google Scholar
Helmchen, H., & Linden, M. (2000). Subthreshold disorders in psychiatry: clinical reality, methodological artifact, and the double-threshold problem. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 41(2), 1–7.Google Scholar
Pettersson, E, Anckarsater, H, Gillberg, C, Lichtenstein, P. Different neurodevelopmental symptoms have a common genetic etiology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2013; 54(12): 1356–65.Google Scholar
McCarthy, J, Amanda, K, Lisette Saunders, P, Chaplin, E, Underwood, L, Forrester, A, et al. Screening and diagnostic assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders in a male prison. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour 2015; 6(2): 102–11.Google Scholar
Dell’Osso, L, Gesi, C, Massimetti, E, Cremone, I, Barbuti, M, Maccariello, G, et al. Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum): validation of a questionnaire investigating subthreshold autism spectrum. Comprehensive Psychiatry 2017; 73: 61–83.Google Scholar
McKenzie, K, Michie, A, Murray, A, Hales, C. Screening for offenders with an intellectual disability: the validity of the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire. Research in Developmental Disabilities 2012; 33(3): 791–5.Google Scholar
Ali, S, Galloway, S. Developing a screening tool for offenders with intellectual disabilities: the RAPID. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour 2016; 7(3): 161–70.Google Scholar
Booth, T, Murray, AL, McKenzie, K, Kuenssberg, R, O’Donnell, M, Burnett, H. Brief report: an evaluation of the AQ-10 as a brief screening instrument for ASD in adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2013; 43(12): 2997–3000.Google Scholar
Allison, C, Auyeung, B, Baron-Cohen, S. Toward brief ‘red flags’ for autism screening: the short autism spectrum quotient and the short quantitative checklist in 1,000 cases and 3,000 controls. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2012; 51(2): 202–12.Google Scholar
Adler, LA, Spencer, T, Faraone, SV, Kessler, RC, Howes, MJ, Biederman, J, et al. Validity of pilot Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) to rate adult ADHD symptoms. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry 2006; 18(3): 145–8.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Adler, L, Ames, M, Demler, O, Faraone, S, Hiripi, E, et al. The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine 2005; 35(2): 245–56.Google Scholar
Fernell, E, Gillberg, C. Borderline intellectual functioning. In Gallagher, A, Bulteau, C, Cohen, D, Michaud, JL, eds., Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Elsevier, 2020: 77–81.Google Scholar
Royal College of Psychiatrists. Forensic care pathways for adults with intellectual disability involved with the criminal justice system. 2014. Available at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/faculties/intellectual-disability/id-fr-id-04.pdf?sfvrsn=ba5ce38a_4.Google Scholar
Søndenaa, E, Olsen, T, Kermit, PS, Dahl, NC, Envik, R. Intellectual disabilities and offending behaviour: the awareness and concerns of the police, district attorneys and judges. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour 2019; 10(2): 34–42.Google Scholar
Luteijn, I, Didden, R, der Nagel, JV. Individuals with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning in a forensic addiction treatment center: prevalence and clinical characteristics. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2017; 1(4): 240–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woiez, I, Eggink, E, Putman, L, Ras, M. An International Comparison of Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploration. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research, 2018.Google Scholar
Segeren, MW, Fassaert, TJL, Kea, R, De Wit, MAS, Popma, A. Exploring differences in criminogenic risk factors and criminal behavior between young adult violent offenders with and without mild to borderline intellectual disability. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 2018; 62(4): 978–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Royal College of Psychiatrists. The psychiatric management of autism in adults College Report 228. 2020. Available at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/campaigning-for-better-mental-health-policy/college-reports/2020-college-reports/cr228.Google Scholar
De Groot, K, Van Strien, JW. Evidence for a broad autism phenotype. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders 2017; 1(3): 129–40.Google Scholar
Dell’Osso, L, Luche, RD, Gesi, C, Moroni, I, Carmassi, C, Maj, M. From Asperger’s Autistischen Psychopathen to DSM-5 autism spectrum disorder and beyond: a subthreshold autism spectrum model. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 2016; 12: 120–31.Google Scholar
Dell’Osso, L, Lorenzi, P, Carpita, B. Autistic traits and illness trajectories. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 2019; 15: 94.Google Scholar
Young, S, Gudjonsson, G, Chitsabesan, P, Colley, B, Farrag, E, Forrester, A, et al. Identification and treatment of offenders with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the prison population: a practical approach based upon expert consensus. BMC Psychiatry 2018; 18(1): 281.Google Scholar
Young, S, Gudjonsson, GH, Wells, J, Asherson, P, Theobald, D, Oliver, B, et al. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and critical incidents in a Scottish prison population. Personality and Individual Differences 2009; 46(3): 265–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kooij, JJS, Bijlenga, D, Salerno, L, Jaeschke, R, Bitter, I, Balazs, J, et al. Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD. European Psychiatry 2019; 56: 14–34.Google Scholar
Young, S, Gudjonsson, GH. Growing out of ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders 2008; 12(2): 162–9.Google Scholar
Machado, A, Rafaela, D, Silva, T, Veigas, T, Cerejeira, J. ADHD among offenders: prevalence and relationship with psychopathic traits. Journal of Attention Disorders 2020; 24(14): 2021–9.Google Scholar
Gudjonsson, GH, Sigurdsson, JF, Sigfusdottir, ID, Young, S. A national epidemiological study of offending and its relationship with ADHD symptoms and associated risk factors. Journal of Attention Disorders 2014; 18(1): 3–13.Google Scholar
Du Rietz, E, Pettersson, E, Brikell, I, Ghirardi, L, Chen, Q, Hartman, C, et al. Overlap between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and neurodevelopmental, externalising and internalising disorders: separating unique from general psychopathology effects. British Journal of Psychiatry 2021; 218(1): 35–42.Google Scholar
Murphy, D, Glaser, K, Hayward, H, Eklund, H, Cadman, T, Findon, J, et al. Crossing the divide: a longitudinal study of effective treatments for people with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan. Programme Grants for Applied Research 2018; 6(2): 1–240.Google Scholar
Norén Selinus, E, Molero, Y, Lichtenstein, P, Anckarsäter, H, Lundström, S, Bottai, M, et al. Subthreshold and threshold attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in childhood: psychosocial outcomes in adolescence in boys and girls. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2016; 134(6): 533–45.Google Scholar
Chaplin, E, McCarthy, J, Allely, CS, Forrester, A, Underwood, L et al. Self-harm and mental health characteristics of prisoners with elevated rates of autistic traits. Research in Developmental Disabilities 2021; 114: 103987.Google Scholar
Chaplin, E, McCarthy, J, Underwood, L, Forrester, A, Hayward, H, Sabet, J, et al. Characteristics of prisoners with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 2017; 61(12): 1185–95.Google Scholar
Chaplin, E, Rawat, A, Perera, B, McCarthy, J, Courtenay, K, Forrester, A, et al. Prisoners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: co-morbidities and service pathways. International Journal of Prisoner Health 2021; 18(3): 245–58.Google Scholar
Usher, AM, Stewart, LA, Wilton, G. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a Canadian prison population. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 2013; 36(3–4): 311–15.Google Scholar
Athanassiou, U, Cale, J, Dowse, L. A descriptive study of sex offending among incarcerated men with low intellectual functioning: offending parameters and sex offence characteristics in adulthood. Current Issues in Criminal Justice 2020; 32(1): 76–90.Google Scholar
Chaplin, E, McCarthy, J, Underwood, L. Autism spectrum conditions and offending: an introduction to the special edition. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour 2013; 4(1/2): 5–8.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×