School Resource Pack

This is the School Resource Pack created by the Progress Educational Trust (PET) as part of its project Spectrum of Opinion: Genes, Autism and Psychological Spectrum Disorders. The pack was originally developed as a resource for use with 16-18 year olds (Sixth Form or Key Stage 5 in the UK education system), but may also have other uses and applications.

The pack is free for anyone to read and use, either as a print version which can be downloaded as a .pdf document (605KB), or as an online version whose contents are set out and linked to below. There are some differences between the print and online versions of the pack, and these are explained in the introduction for teachers.

If you have any questions about the pack, feedback on its use, or ideas for how PET might secure funding to develop the pack further, please contact PET Communications Officer Sandy Starr at

• Introduction for teachers
  By Sandy Starr (Communications Officer at PET) and Sarah Norcross (Director of PET)

Articles for debate and discussion

1. The genetics and sociology of the autism spectrum
   By Dr Michael Fitzpatrick (General Practitioner and author of books about autism)

2. Studying autism genetics responsibly
   By Simon Baron-Cohen (Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge)

3. Genetics and autism: untangling the debate
   By Richard Ashcroft (Professor of Bioethics at Queen Mary University of London)

4. Autism spectrum disorder as a lifelong condition
   By Dr Elisabeth Hill (Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Goldsmiths University of London)

5. Unnatural selection
   By Helen Keeler (author and actress)

6. From autism to Asperger's syndrome
   By Sandy Starr (Communications Officer at PET)

7. Mental health needs more research
   By Fenno Outen (Head Occupational Therapist for Newham at East London NHS Foundation Trust)

8. Are there 'genes for' traits?
   By John Dupré (Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Exeter)

9. Understanding the autism spectrum
   By Dr Elisabeth Hill (Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Goldsmiths University of London)

10. Are genetic markers helpful in understanding psychological disorders?
    By Sandy Starr (Communications Officer at PET)

• Glossary of terms
  By Sandy Starr (Communications Officer at PET)

• Acknowledgements
  By Sandy Starr (Communications Officer at PET) and Sarah Norcross (Director of PET)