I can't speak for aussiefooty or anyone else, but ppl with ASD struggle to pick up on social cues and don't know what they're being punished for... parents either tend to treat the child exactly the same as everyone else, or they will let them off the hook.No, I have NO issues with your being defensive over someone you saw as being "abused"... the thing is, you pretty much came in 1/2 cocked and not having a fuller knowledge of the person involved.
As I said, I worked with the mentally challenged (which at that the mildly autistic were included in) "special education" students back when I got into law enforcement due to my mother being a Special Ed teacher. Ate lunch with them, had to arrest some of them as they go older, and prevented several of them from going to jail for stupid stuff, calmed several down when they were having issues with their parents (they weren't afraid of me since they knew me since it was a frequent threat if they misbehaved the police would come take them away). So I'm well aware of what those that suffer from ASD can operate in society at a base level are like.
I also know what spoiled children that were "given everything and shielded from repercussions of their actions" are like, along with the poor socialization skills they have as they never had to deal with being told no or being corrected... and the individual in question clearly falls into that latter position. Could that person have some other issues that negatively impact their inability to socialize? Possibly. But I have a strong suspicion that their issues are more environmental than medical.
I think it's the issue of correcting them in the same way as other children which they may not understand or fully process, or not punishing them at all. It's challenging for a parent to understand how the child learns best. Or they may not even consider adapting to the child's learning style.