MMR and Autism
The continuing outbreak of measles in South Wales has once more drawn attention to Andrew Wakefield, the man who did more than most to create a panic over MMR and autism. He was aided and abetted by...
View ArticleAn Inflammatory Argument
I am beginning to feel a real sympathy for Sisyphus, who was punished for his sins by the ancient Greek gods and condemned to roll a stone uphill for all eternity. Sisyphus’ sin was to imagine he could...
View ArticleThe Ageing of Autism
BACKGROUND When data from California emerged in 1999 that suggested a dramatic increase in the rate of autism it was taken by some advocates as evidence for an epidemic. This was problematic because...
View ArticleFurness National Autistic Society Push for Action
The National Autistic Society has been running an unusual campaign, Push for Action, that is probably one of it’s most successful in terms of participation and outcomes. That is not what makes it...
View ArticleAutism: Challenging Behaviour
Introduction Michael Fitzpatrick is a retired GP with a profoundly autistic son. Mike is also the author of MMR and Autism: What Parents Need to Know and Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion. He...
View ArticleSusan Boyle and Asperger Syndrome
In today’s Observer Magazine there is an article about Susan Boyle in which she reveals her recent diagnosis with Asperger Syndrome. She found fame and fortune 4 years ago on the talent show,...
View ArticleWhat Doctors Don’t Tell You is wrong about autism.
What Doctors Don’t Tell You (WDDTY) is a magazine that claims it is “helping you make better health choices.” But it has drawn criticism from those like Andy Lewis who wrote on the Quackometer blog,...
View ArticleIs Andrew Wakefield a fraud and a bully?
I had hoped that, after he disappeared into obscurity in the United States, I could safely ignore Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced former surgeon, who lost his licence to practise medicine in the UK for...
View ArticleAutism, serial killers and mass murderers
A recent literature review by Doctor Clare Allely, at the University of Glasgow has been attracting a lot media attention. According to Google News there are press reports in Britain, Europe, America...
View ArticleDr Lorna Wing, OBE 1928 – 2014
I learned today that Dr Lorna Wing died on Friday. Her contribution to our understanding of autism is unsurpassed. I think it was Dr Ekkehart Staufenberg, speaking at a National Autistic Society...
View ArticleBad Advice – a review
Bad Advice is full of good advice. The author, Dr Paul Offit, is a paediatrician, a scientist and a science communicator. He was one of the first medical professionals to take on the pseudoscientific...
View ArticleSEND National Crisis: My speech today.
A good turnout today, around a 100 families and individuals to protest the crisis in SEND funding as part of a National day of action. I almost gave my speech. But it was too windy to read from my...
View ArticleTen Steps Toward creating a Successful Learning Environment
The Covid crisis has been hard for all of us, children especially. And none more so than autistic children who need their routines and, if they are amongst the lucky ones, derive great benefit from...
View ArticleA Covid Retrospective – In the beginning
We all strive to live in the present. Perhaps more than ever before, because of the information revolution and the growth of social media, we are the now generation. The past is obsolete, last year’s...
View ArticleVaccines, Covid and Anti-Vaxxers
I have just started reading Vaxxers. It is a brilliant book that tackles the anxiety that surrounds the rollout of the Covid vaccine programme. How do I know it is brilliant if I have only just...
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