According to numerous reports, Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who killed 20 children and seven adults in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday before killing himself, allegedly suffered from Asperger’s syndrome. Some have speculated that his disorder contributed to the factors leading Lanza to commit mass murder, but experts have cautioned that Lanza’s mental state was likely a complex portrait of disturbance in which autism played a minor part.

Asperger’s syndrome is a neurological condition that, while incurable, can be managed if treated. Sufferers of this autism spectrum disorder often experience difficulty with emotional connection, engage in ritualistic behaviors, and become isolated from peers. These symptoms plagued Lanza, who many in his town have described as an intelligent, but extremely awkward, loner.

Experts have related that, although displays of aggression in those diagnosed with autism can occur up to 30 percent more often than among members of the general population, there is no connection between Asperger’s and the type of violence Lanza displayed.