The article doesn't say Armstrong requires a carer.

> The court heard Armstrong, who acts as a carer for a man he considers his father, had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and suffered from anxiety and depression.

Also, Asperger's is not really an excuse to say hurtful things. I have ADHD, which is related to both Asperger's and autism, and I would never say something like that. It's not so cut and dry to say "oh, they have <x>, so they're excused".

Apart from both being NPF, having some symptoms that can be misinterpreted as similar, and high levels of comorbidities, ADHD is not related to autism.

We with ADHD absolutely do not have the same issues of interpersonal understanding, so of course you wouldn't because you wouldn't have that impulse in the first place.

From what I know I'd say autism (light or not) can definitely be an excuse for saying hurtful things, due to limitations in getting why something "merely factual" could be hurtful.