Sibling Death after Being Thrown from Window by Brother with Autism: Defenestration, an Emerging High-Risk Behavior.
Children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) may have serious behavioral problems such as aggression, self-injury, and violence. However, the literature on ASD either overrules any correlation between aggression and ASD or maintains the fact that the efforts to link them have so far been inconclusive. Although severe forms of violence are extremely rare in children with autism, there are a few cases reported in the literature with significant harm to siblings. We hereby report an 8-year-old boy with ASD who caused the death of his sibling by throwing her out of the window. Shared similarities of all defenestration cases indicate a pattern of high-risk behavior threatening the survival of minors. We recommend precautions against this high-risk behavior in children with ASD.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University Hospital, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey.
Osman
O
Sabuncuoglu
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University Hospital, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey.
Mustafa Yasin
MY
Irmak
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University Hospital, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey.
Nagehan
N
Ucok Demir
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University Hospital, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey.
Duygu
D
Murat
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Marmara University Hospital, 34899 Istanbul, Turkey.
Can
C
Tumba
Marmara University School of Medicine Foundation, Academic Hospital, 34662 Istanbul, Turkey.
Yuksel
Y
Yilmaz