After informing inspectors that students with autism are “at heightened risk of being receptive to extremism,” Ofsted, the organization in charge of safety in English schools, has come under fire for engaging in “offensive” and “clumsy” discrimination. Autistic youngsters are also claimed to be “more prone to acquire specific interests” and “may be lured into extremism” as a result, according to a training handbook used to instruct hundreds of school inspectors. A human rights organization stated that the manual’s lessons draw a bullseye on autistic youngsters, while the National Autistic Society cautioned that the booklet ran the potential of stigmatizing autistic characteristics. The booklet has been defended by Ofsted, which claims that its training provides insight into the many situations in which youngsters may be more vulnerable to extremism.
