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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics

Autism is not an excuse for bad behaviour

Gregg Wallace, pictured after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2023.
Gregg Wallace, pictured after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2023. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

Yet again, the autistic community (which includes me, diagnosed at age 49) utters a collective groan as another high-profile miscreant tries to use their autistic neurodiversity as an excuse for their unacceptable behaviour (Yes, the problem is men like Gregg Wallace – but it’s also those who should stop them and don’t, 10 July).

Any autistic person will tell you that they’re no stranger to messing up and embarrassing themselves in a social situation. But they will also tell you how mortified they were, how they apologised or retreated in shame, and then worked extra hard at finding ways to avoid making the same mistake in future.

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