No increase in criminal convictions in Hans Asperger's original cohort.

Hippler et al. (2010) tracked down Hans Asperger's original 177 patients from 1940s Vienna. They checked Austrian criminal records to see if these men were convicted of crimes.

The team compared conviction rates and types of offences to the general male Austrian population of the same era.

Conviction rates matched the general public exactly. The men with Asperger's syndrome were no more likely to offend.

When they did commit crimes, the offences looked the same as typical male crimes—no unusual patterns.

Jänsch et al. (2014) pooled many studies and reached the same conclusion: people with autism spectrum disorder are not over-represented in the justice system. Their review treats the 2010 Austrian data as key evidence.

Cooper et al. (2024) widened the lens. Their global survey found that half of autistic adults have police contact, but mostly for welfare checks or wandering—not crimes. This extends the 2010 finding from 'no convictions' to 'most police contact is non-criminal.'

Cederlund et al. (2008) followed a different Asperger cohort and saw mostly poor adult outcomes. At first glance this seems to clash with the clean criminal record report, but the 2008 paper tracked jobs and friendships, not offences. Both can be true: social struggle without criminality.

You can use this paper when teachers, employers, or parents worry that autistic traits predict law-breaking. Show them solid data: autism alone does not raise criminal risk. Focus your behavior plans on communication and self-regulation, not unfounded fears of offending.