What About William Freund’s Parents
November 23, 2005 by Adelle Tilton
Filed under Health
I have been asked why the young man with Asperger’s Syndrome, who recently murdered two and then committed suicide, seemed to have no parents. No mention of them has been made in the press.
One of the journalists covering this story, from the “L.A. Times,” Dana Parsons wrote a commentary on this issue. She entitled it, “A Public Balm For Private Anguish,” and I couldn’t agree with her more. Although it would be very interesting to know how the parents raised Freund, and what they believe caused the incident, moving into their space right now would be reprehensible.
Not only do the Freunds have to live with the death of their own son, they have to live with the knowledge that two other people died. Another family, have two victims, has been devastated as well. This is something that will never go away for the Freunds and the intrusion of the press can only make it worse.
It would be wise to consider the role of the media and the role of the public in this incident. When we encounter someone, on the computer or in real life, that we consider odd, is shunning them the best response? Probably not. If Asperger’s is an issue, that person has no concept that their social behavior is unacceptable. Blogs all over the Internet are criticizing Freund for his maladjusted behavior, but Asperger’s is not a disorder that is that black and white. The social nuances that Freund missed, that cost him friendships and companionship, led to his death.
The bottom line is that Asperger’s individuals can learn a normal way of functioning socially. They do not learn it as the rest of the population does. That is to say, they do not learn it from modeling their behavior after another person, by picking up instinctively on subtle cues, or any other way other than by rote learning. By rote learning, a parent and/or teacher can teach an Asperger’s individual appropriate social behavior, and hopefully avoid a situation such as this from ever happening again.
This blogger may a news watcher, but he doesn’t seem to understand the problems involved with autism spectrum disorders, especially in adults.
The Original “L.A. Times” Article
Throughout all of the coverage, this remains the article that most are referring to.
This is a blog that analyzes from a modern point-of-view, crimes in the media and the stories behind them. There are several references in this blog to William Freund; it is interesting to note that this blog is not about Aspergers Syndrome but addressed crime exclusively.
This is what teenagers visit when they are visiting alternative news sources. Unfortunately, it is considered legitimate news in many circles; this particular site is a knock-off of Wikipedia and presents a sarcastic and slanted view of the news. Their story on William Freund is something parents and educators should be aware of when they are helping Asperger’s teens learn social interaction.
I’m the author of the blog post you linked as "A Blog Criticizing Freund".
You claim that I don’t understand the ramifications of ASDs in adults. What you don’t understand is that I am also an adult with Asperger’s syndrome. I’ve endured the same suffering William Freund went through. I’ve had the same struggles and the same setbacks. In fact, one could say that my situation was worse because of increased physical isolation and lack of opportunities to learn.
Freund was suffering from much more than AS. I’m not sure precisely what, but AS doesn’t explain all of the symptoms he complained (or bragged) of. This isn’t merely a case of AS causing someone to kill, and it angers me that nobody is taking the time to look further.
I agree that it needs to be looked into further. And I also agree that there are obviously other factors involved.
But, as you know, Asperger’s is an individual as a fingerprint. You having Asperger’s gives you one perspective, but perhaps not an objective one. I still maintain that the posting did not show a full understanding of the autism spectrum, except for perhaps from your own singular experience. When an event such as this is covered, whether through a blog or a newspaper, the writer needs to take a step back and report the facts. If it is to be an op-ed, when reporting on a very sensitive issue, such as this incident, discretion is often the better part of good writing.
I am sure that you intended no ill will to anyone, including the families of all the people concerned. However, the words could be taken in a manner other than you intended, and have in many cases. There are many people who have reacted this way to your posting, which I have ascertained from the emails I have received.
Having said all of that, and now knowing you are on the spectrum, I commend you for your talents and abilities that you are so willing to share. I believe that you are doing something very proactive for yourself. I am thrilled to have heard from you and hope I will again.
On this one, we can agree to disagree. But I respect what you have had to say and thank you for the time you took to say it!