Welcome To The Terrordome.

Must have missed this one at the time but seeing as there's a protest in Parliament Square on Friday, 22 May I thought I'd mention the fact that, according to new Ofsted guidance, Autistic children as more likely be extremists.

 

Some extremist Autists yesterday.

 

First mentioned in a series of 2023 and 2024 training materials for Ofsted inspectors, it seems that Ofsted believes that autistic people are more susceptible to becoming terrorists or extremists because of their ‘special interests’.

One of the Ofsted trainings on Prevent indicates that the trainer should tell school inspectors: 

‘Children and young people with Autism are at increased risk of being susceptible to extremism. This is because they are more likely to develop special interests.’ 

The training does not explain this assertion but does go on to claim: ‘Children with autism are more likely to experience social isolation and so use the internet to find friends. They trust the information they read and the “friends” that they find online and so can be drawn into extremism.’

Hmmm. 

I was going to go on and destroy this argument with my fact-based Autistic logic until, that is, my wife mentioned some of my extremist views.

For example:

Alien 3 (or Alien Cubed as we cry it around here) is by far the best Alien film.

Star Trek The Motion Picture is better than 2001 A Space Odyssey - and the best Star Trek film.

The Sylvester McCoy era is pinnacle Doctor Who.   

I think you get the picture.

 

On a more serious note (yes I can be serious) I think the issue - which let's be honest is way more complicated an issue than can be discussed on a blog like this -  is that I genuinely don't think that Autistic folk are more likely to become extremists but are way more likely, thru' a sense of justice and the like, to be groomed or become obsessed with certain socio-political ideologies.

Obviously it's way more nuanced than that but you get the idea. 

My I'm going to get into trouble for this aren't I?