Science is done by people, peeps.

I'm a scientist. Accordingly, I bring a reflexive skepticism to sweeping claims ostensibly deriving from "science." Science doesn't deal in proof, it deals in evidence. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

With that in mind, the phenomenon of autism has fascinated me since I was in junior high. It came to my attention as I read books assigned to my mom in her abnormal psychology class. Back then, autism was believed to be due to "refrigerator moms." Today, the consensus is that autism has an organic basis: a complex genetic trait with environmental inputs. Twin pair studies point to significant heritability. But what, exactly is being inherited.

Which brings me to the topic of the link below. It begins with the notion that an "extreme male brain" is the real explanation for autism, but then critically examines that ideas of "male brains" and "female brains" and the bias that pervaded the foundational work.

http://echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-blast-from-past-extreme-male-brain.html#more

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