Low profiling
Autism , Issue 1654 SPRINGWATCH presenter Chris Packham knows only too well the loneliness and distress caused by being singled out as a "weirdo" teenager because of his idiosyncratic autistic traits.

He had hoped the stigmatisation and bullying of neurodiverse children in the UK was a thing of the past. But, he tells the Eye, he is now involved in a war of words with Ofsted, which seems determined to reinforce outdated classroom stereotypes.

Packham and other outraged campaigners are calling on the education regulator to withdraw "dangerous" training materials that link autism to radicalisation.

The document instructs inspectors to ensure teachers are aware of their safeguarding duties to report concerns to the government's anti- terrorism programme, Prevent. It says: "Children and young people with autism are at increased risk of being susceptible to extremism... because they are more likely to develop special interests."

Referral vs risk
Studies suggest autistic children could already be 25 times more likely to be referred to the government's Prevent counter-terrorism programme than their neurotypical peers, but there is no data on how many are found to be genuinely at risk.

A spokesperson for support group Prevent Watch said: "We have noticed a huge spike in the number of Prevent referrals of children with autism. Many families have told us that instead of receiving support, their children are being flagged as a security risk for having special interests, or for their black-and- white thinking, and that schools have stated specifically it is their child's autism that makes them more 'vulnerable to extremism'."

Amnesty International has called Prevent "fundamentally incompatible with the UK's human rights obligations" because of its secrecy and reliance on "gut feelings", which can embed discrimination against marginalised groups.

Missing link
When called on by early-years author and campaigner Dr Mine Conkbayir to remove the claim, Ofsted dug in its heels, citing an academic paper exploring why some experts believe in a link and a legal one listing case studies as evidence.

Dr Rachel Moseley, principal academic in psychology and autism specialist at Bournemouth University, said: "Having reviewed both sources quoted by Ofsted, neither offers credible evidence. There simply is no robust evidence or reason to single out people with autism for this scrutiny. I'm really surprised at the persistence of this assumption without any grounding.

"We do, however, know autistic people are marginalised and treated differently from a young age and do have robust evidence linking general stigma to mental illness and suicide. This kind of profiling could have huge ramifications."

Studies have found that even where people with autism have been found to show an intense interest in online sites related to extremism, it is through curiosity rather than intent, and they are more often victims of violent crime than perpetrators.

"Weirdo" science
Packham told the Eye: "I had the lived experience of being the 'outsider', the 'weirdo'. It didn't just hurt, it precipitated mental health issues which have haunted and influenced my entire life. That was the 1970s. We have worked hard to move on, to create a world where young autistic people are understood and supported.

"Now this: an inaccurate, inappropriate, insane and wholly irresponsible licence for abuse from Ofsted. Their refusal to acknowledge and remove their abject error is inexplicable and inexcusable."

An Ofsted spokesperson said it wanted inspectors to understand a "variety of different circumstances in which children might be more susceptible to these threats", in order to protect them.

Dr Conkbayir said: "They call it safeguarding, but discriminating against a vulnerable group is not safeguarding anybody, it's profiling, it's dangerous and illegal. What kind of society asks its teachers and other public servants to monitor all autistic children especially closely for signs they are potential terrorists? As studies demonstrate, all children are potentially vulnerable to extremism, based on a whole host of factors – none of which Ofsted identifies."