Title: Access to justice for children with autism spectrum disorders
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Evidence collected from eyewitnesses is crucial for the success of a criminal investigation. Information from witnesses governs the initial direction of an investigation (providing lines of enquiry and identifying possible suspects), and the strength of evidence has been associated with guilty suspects confessing to their crimes. However, little is known about the capabilities of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) when providing witness information. Given their vulnerabilities in terms of cognitive, social and emotional difficulties, these children are at high risk of victimisation, violence and abuse. Therefore, fair and appropriate access to justice for children with ASD is an issue of paramount importance. The population of children and adults with ASD is very large, with prevalence rates of approximately one in 100 (Baird et al., 2006). We already know that individuals with ASD display a characteristic pattern of memory difficulties (e.g., having trouble recalling personally experienced events and recognising faces) and social communication impairments (e.g., lack of eye contact and problems with holding conversations) that call into question their abilities as criminal witnesses. Yet the few studies that have been conducted on this topic have shown that, although individuals with ASD recall less information about a witnessed event than typical groups, the information that they do provide can be just as accurate. Even less is known about the strengths and weaknesses of individuals with ASD across all the different stages of a criminal investigation. During the proposed research, several novel questions will be addressed: How does this group fare throughout the investigative process (e.g., during initial questioning, in an investigative interview, when identifying perpetrators, and during cross-examination)? What can be done to improve the amount of information that children with ASD recall, without a subsequent decrease in the accuracy of this information? How do the general public (who may be evaluating the evidence of individuals with ASD within a jury) perceive witnesses with ASD? And what factors (e.g., mood state, anxiety, suggestibility, basic memory abilities) are associated with the performance of children with ASD in a witness context? This research will represent the first in depth investigation of witness characteristics in children with ASD and will fill an important gap in our knowledge of this disorder. The work will address the need for basic theoretical research to increase our understanding of the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of children with ASD, but it will also provide answers to an important and pressing real-world issue - how do we ensure that children with ASD obtain fair and appropriate access to justice? The project has been designed to impact directly on policy by providing a basis for the development of guidelines and interventions to improve the performance of children with ASD in the Criminal Justice System (in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, UK).


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH