Innovative book studies condition

Book will be released on World Autism Awareness Day London - Arabstoday Autism West Midlands has published a pioneering book about autism research to be released on World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. 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.”