“What shall I write for the newsletter?” I asked Kelly Morgenfeld, our newest and increasingly invaluable Autism File Global team member, who had been tasked with putting together our eNewsletter. “Something science-y”, she said. And that set me thinking.
Last year I became a Chartered Scientist, an award conferred by the Science Council of the UK, through its licensed member organisations. According to Wikipedia, Chartered Scientists are:
‘…characterised by their ability to deal with complex issues, both systematically and creatively and can make sound judgements in the absence of complete data to develop solutions to scientific problems and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.’
So, fairly impressive-sounding. But ironic, coming as it does at a time when the contribution of science to my own field has hit an all time low. As someone whose primary interest is in the epidemiology of autism and autism spectrum disorders I find the scientific community to be hopelessly compromised by a political agenda that seeks to silence; by an academic agenda that seeks to distract and by a public health agenda that appears to have lost its way.
But of equal concern is the attitude of those who warn against taking a stance on certain issues in autism research, not because of the potential political implications, not because they might lose their (government) grants, but because they believe that ‘science is neutral’; that science is somehow about ‘sitting on the fence’; even that ‘science’ is an entity in itself, that can be judged as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending on whether it fits the ideological blathering of a bunch of ‘skeptics in the pub’. When I asked a friend and one-time colleague what her thoughts were on the vaccine-autism debate, she happily told me that she had “no position at all, as it wasn’t (and she actually used the word) ‘science-y’ to hold a position.” Back to the fence then folks.
Science is a process; a method. A scientist is someone who applies the method in seeking to test a hypothesis, and it’s the method that seeks to be neutral, unbiased and objective. The scientist, in turn, simply adheres to the method.
So, as autism scientists, let’s not be afraid to state our positions strongly and clearly. Let’s not be afraid to ask big questions and suggest uncomfortable possibilities. Let us, as scientists be led by the method; and let the data be king. The reason I write for the Autism File Global, and the reason I am totally committed to its future, is because its Editorial team has stood up when others have run for cover. In feeling its way in reporting real autism science, AF-Global gives me hope that autism science will get back a little of its soul.
And I just hope that Kelly thinks that’s ‘science-y’ enough.
Carol Stott
Scientific Editor
Autism File Global®
