It can and has been overdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. This article names some common ways that it can be so.
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2007/11/13/crusades_versus_caution
I have personally witnessed an 8-year-old “autistic” (according to the mother; we’ll call him Billy) boy assault (the victim’s clothing was torn and four buttons had been pulled off) another person who was playing with his brother. After being initially apologetic, the mother explained that “Billy gets jealous when people play with Johnny; if Victim had spent more time paying attention to him, it wouldn’t have happened.” on about personal responsibility that day? Nope.
But the victim sure got a lesson “I have to be responsible for my behavior, but Billy & Johnny’s Mommy thinks its my fault if Billy isn’t responsible for his.”
Those are the kind of parents you are, likely unfairly, being compared to. The parents who make excuses when their kids act out of line.
Yea I agree, if the kid can understand then there is no excuse. This is how I handle it, she hasn’t gotten control of herself yet, we are still in the process of teaching her and she is still learning. And that’s what those parents should do. Kids, whether learning disabled, or normal, will meet whatever expectations you have of them(within reason that is). I expect my daughter to behave according to what she understands the rest we are in the process of teaching her. It’s been a very slow process but, she is still growing and I’m very proud of her. When I look back at what she was like at 4 and what she is like at 31, it’s the difference of night and day.