Bournemouth University: Setting the record straight on autism and radicalisation

As well as other experts on autism, there were representatives from the Home Office’s Prevent (anti-radicalisation) programme, social workers, clinicians and so on.

The participants were keen to get to the bottom of what they perceived to be a link between autism and radicalisation – their idea being that people with autism are more likely to become involved in terrorist activities.

However, there is no credible evidence to suggest that autistic people are more likely than non-autistic people to hold sympathetic views on violent protest or terrorism.

There is even some evidence that terror networks are actually more reluctant to recruit people with any kind of mental health problem or neurodivergence, perhaps due to social stigma.