High Functioning Autism and Internet Dangers, Part 1: Who is at Risk?

How real are the dangers online for young people with high functioning autism and who is vulnerable? How do kids get in (and out of) the life that can sometimes lead to violent extremism?  What can you do to protect your child and what resources are available to help?

In this episode, we look at a research study that describes who is in danger and what types of dangers there are.  While the results are inconclusive as to some issues, it does suggest that high functioning autism can be a feature of someone who is radicalized, but it is just a component, and most times, a contributing factor.

Here is a link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35401260/ (Vulnerability to Ideologically-Motivated Violence Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder)

In the next episode of the series, titled Yes, Grooming is a Real Thing.  I’ll review a portion of a book, Black Pill, that makes the need for intervention more relevant and apparent.  We’ll see there are online dangers that both exploit and provide acceptance to kids with autism, a sometimes-dangerous mix

 IIn the third episode, Realized Radicalization, you will hear stories of kids who got caught up and became radicalized.  A group of young people were interviewed after they were able to escape the life.  But the article concentrates on how they got in and why they stayed as long as they did.

 And in the fourth episode, Keeping Your Child Safe Online, we’ll look at what research says about how to respond to the dangers.

Thanks to soundimage.org for the free access to the AI generated music used in this podcast (https://soundimage.org/)