And while those supporters have frequently reminded that sympathy and support for Stapleton does not suggest an endorsement of the actions she’s accused of, many autism advocates don’t see it that way.
"As someone who is autistic, it’s kind of scary that that society gathers around the mother," Lassiter said.
"I think there certainly is a divide, and there has been for some time," said Ari Ne’eman, president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in Washington, D.C. “The picture of autism that has been presented in the public eye is not consistent with how we see ourselves."
He said recent murder and attempted murder of autistic children “are the quintessential example of that.”
Autistic people deserve the same protection under law, he said, and “we are profoundly concerned when groups try to present murder as justified or understandable on the basis of the victim’s disability.”
Regarding Matt Stapleton’s “do everyone a favor” quote, Ne’eman said: “I think it’s a very explicit insult. Certain folks in the community and many in the media are sending the message that autistic lives are not worth as much, and if you have a disability you cannot expect society to condemn your murderer.”
“I think some parents and other caregivers were fed an ideology that preaches that it is better to be dead than to be disabled, and it is quite possible they thought were doing a favor,” he said.
“Parents do not kill kids because a service system is inadequate,” Ne’eman added. “They kill their children because media and a disturbing number of people send them the message that that is OK or at least understandable.”
Autism anguish: Does sympathy for Kelli Stapleton put people with autism at risk? | MLive.com: