Here is a press release from Autism West Midlands, a charity that provides autism services and support in the UK. The book is available as a free download but I hope that once you have read it you will, like me, visit their shop to purchase a hard copy.

Autism West Midlands has published a pioneering book about autism research to be released on World Autism Awareness Day, 2nd April 2013. The Good and Bad Science of Autism is an easy-to-use book designed to introduce the reader to autism research.

Written by geneticist Dr. Neil Walsh and neuroscientist Dr. Elisabeth Hurley, the book brings together scientific research from multiple disciplines including neuroscience, genetics and psychology. It examines the validity of different areas of autism research and helps the reader to draw conclusions about the current scientific knowledge of autism.

The book begins by providing a basic introduction to scientific method: how scientific studies should be undertaken and published. It then goes on to cover good autism science research before exploring how bad science has affected autism research and how the age of the internet has affected the public understanding of autism.

This book discusses topics such as autism and the MMR vaccine, the search for tests to diagnose autism and some of the interventions available for people with autism. The book gives readers guidance on how to differentiate between good and bad science and how to interpret recent autism research findings.

This exciting book is designed to be easily accessible. Thanks to its colour-coded pages, readers can choose to read either a summary of the chapter or the full text. There are also pages focusing on particular aspects of autism research.

Finally, the book provides a list of useful resources that readers can access to find out more about autism science research.

Dr. Elisabeth Hurley, co-author of the book said “The Good and Bad Science of Autism is an easy-to-read book that we hope will introduce autism research and the science behind it to a wider audience.”

Jonathan Shephard, Chief Executive of Autism West Midlands said “Autism has multiple causes and complex effects. Understanding autism is therefore not an easy task in a world where people look for simple, immediate answers. The Good and Bad Science of Autism meets the need for an easy to follow path through the fascinating and developing strands of autism research. There are no simple answers in autism, but the book provides a clear explanation of current autism knowledge.”

There is nothing new in this booklet. But it provides a concise and accessible summary of the limits of our current knowledge as well as a guide to understanding scientific research for the lay reader. It is very good at defending research from bad science reporting but misses a trick by failing to point out that the misreporting of research often arises, not from a misreading of the research, but from the sensationalism of the press releases that are issued by the research institutions themselves.

The chapters on bad science and alternative therapies would have been more useful if the authors had named names. Perhaps the UK’s litigant friendly libel laws persuaded them to exercise due caution. They do reference Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science and Paul Offit’s book, Autism’s False Prophets, which does name names, and they acknowledge the journalistic achievements of Brian Deer in relation to MMR. But I was surprised that there was no mention of Mike Fitzpatrick who has authored two excellent books, MMR and Autism What Parents Need to Know and Defeating Autism, a Damaging Delusion on alternative therapies. Their discussion of alternative therapies also omitted some of the more pernicious ones, hopefully because they have yet to gain traction in the UK. So no mention of Lupron, DIY stem cell therapy, bleach enemas or faecal transplants.

The authors are on stronger ground when explaining their own specialities’ contribution to autism research. The chapters on genetics and neurology are so straightforward that even I understood them. The comprehensive references (that are a feature of every chapter) point the reader to some of the most influential research in each area for those who feel emboldened to expand their knowledge and expertize.

The booklet ends with a list of resources including blogs which the authors recommend as often providing more reliable reporting on autism research than the mainstream media. I was delighted to see LBRB, Science Blogs and Neurologica all recommended. I would add Science Based Medicine and Neurodiversity to that list. Now I have to check out the other two blogs they recommend, Cracking the Enigma and BishopBlog.

Like many parents, I started out on my journey through autism with an open mind to the many alternative theories out there and a tendency to close my mind to the official line that reeked of establishment cover up and complacency. Sixteen years later I have learned to distinguish the political establishment  that often does fail to deliver and always tries to cover its back, from the scientific world that does have a track record of serious research and owning up to its mistakes. I would have learned this a lot sooner with a booklet like this to guide me.

By Mike

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