Wow! Science

Are you autistic asks the channel 4 programme Are You Autistic? The show only addresses its title by briefly discussing an online survey at the end (of both the show and this post).   Instead, this reality documentary game show goes about showing there are huge swathes of people (by that we mean women) with a special kind of Autism that doesn't manifest itself in any of the key diagnostic descriptors and which goes undiagnosed due to long waiting lists, the wrong diagnostic techniques and poor public awareness. Are You Autistic (channel 4) One of our presenters, Georgia Harper, who oddly* has key observable behavioural descriptors of Autism (gait, stimming hand movements, unusual eye gaze, monotone vocal intonation) tells us: "So now a group of scientists are wanting to help this lost generation using their cutting edge research into real world settings." Yep, undiagnosed Auties are just like the generation of people who came back from the trenches, the generation...

In the light of the Casey Review and a new government green paper on integration can one have a debate about social integration of Muslims in the UK without accusations of Islamophobia? Miqdaad Versi (assistant secretary general of The Muslim Council of Britain) in  The Guardian  asserts "The government needs to rethink its approach if there is to be any hope of a successful strategy for Muslim communities." Versi is responding mostly to Louise Casey's recent assertion that the government have not implemented any of her suggestions in her review of social integration in Britain.  He also criticizes Casey's focus being primarily on Muslim communities.  Louise Casey collecting her 'public figure with the silliest hats' award 2016 This tends to be a divisive debate that often leads to confused claims of racism, Islamophobia and a fear by some of a back door blasphemy law.  So, great, here I wade in...eeek. The problem with the debate around Islam and...