A school for severely autistic children has been accused by experts of “breathtaking recklessness” after signing up to a controversial LGBT charter pushing “pseudoscientific” transgender ideology, reports the Telegraph.
In a guide labelled “please read”, Kaimes School puts forward the theory that autistic people may be more likely to be trans as they “feel there is less need to fit societal norms” and therefore “feel more able to express and explore our authentic sexuality and gender identity”.
It’s unclear what the source for this claim is, but research studies cited by the Cass review make clear that although transgender and gender-diverse individuals are three to six times more likely to be autistic than neurotypical children, after controlling for age and educational attainment, this isn’t because they are somehow more ‘expressive’ or ‘in touch’ with their inner selves.
Summarising those studies in her final report, Dr Hilary Cass notes that autistic young people often have difficulties with social communication and peer relationships, which may make it difficult for them to feel accepted and ‘fit in’, while difficulties in making sense of what is going on in their bodies (interoception), and expressing their emotions (alexithymia) can sometimes make it hard for them to express how they are feeling about their internal sensations, their gender identity and their sexual identity.
For autistic children, Dr Cass adds, working these issues out “may take longer than it does for neurotypical individuals”, leaving them “vulnerable into their early 20s or longer because of their tendency to want black and white answers, and their difficulty in tolerating uncertainty”.
While experts cited say they do not yet understand the link between autism and gender distress, materials produced by Kaimes School suggest it is explained as autistic people are “willing to examine social constructs”. The source for the schoolteachers’ startling claim? An American YouTuber.
Other school documents seen by the Telegraph show that Kaimes School has overhauled its curriculum to become “trans inclusive” in a bid to win “charter status” from activist charity LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS).
Teachers at the school, which has around 100 pupils all of whom have “complex” needs linked to autism, are now told to “listen to our young people and respect their pronouns/name changes etc”.
Other examples in which the influence of gender ideology is clear include the Spanish language being adapted to become gender-neutral in lessons, to address what was seen as an “unfortunate” grammatical dependence on masculine and feminine terms.
Pupils have also been shown an image of a “gingerbread person” in assemblies, designed to teach them about the difference between gender and sex, and are told it is “fine and valid” if they do not match.
Reading materials in the school include a book titled Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl? written by the trans activists Sarah Fisher and Fox Fisher and endorsed by LGBTYS and Stonewall.
Messages on school notice boards dedicated exclusively to LGBT issues tell pupils to “come out for LGBT”. Other slogans include: “LGBT+ matters, be a part of us”. Statements such as “trans women are real women” have also been put on display.
Carolyn Brown, a retired former educational psychologist who helped the Scottish Government draw up a national autism strategy, described the approach taken by the school as grossly irresponsible.
“This is the opposite of what a specialist school in autism should be doing,” she said. “These youngsters will interpret things very literally and see the world in black and white.
“If you tell them they can be a member of the opposite sex, then they will really believe that. Showing them nonsense like the gingerbread person, which is highly regressive and misleading, is only going to make them very confused.
“You would expect schools, especially ones that specialise in autism, to respond very cautiously and with great care in this area. Instead, youngsters are being fed pseudoscience, presented as fact, and so are the staff. It is shocking and breathtaking.”
An Edinburgh council spokesman said: “We follow guidance set out in the Equality Act across all Council business and value the importance of inclusivity, tolerance and respect for all individuals.
“We understand that different people hold different views and aim to work with our diverse community to respect and support one another. This is done in a variety of ways and has included working with LGBT Youth Scotland.”
Worth reading in full.
