New research on allegations of FII
- Nov 2, 2025
- 1 min read
Pre-publication article by Sir Simon Baron Cohen and his team: S. K. Crockford, A. L. Pohl, M. Blakemore, C. Allison, S. Baron-Cohen
The article, "Mothers of autistic children: a study of their experiences with child-protection social services, and allegations of fabricated or induced illness," highlights the alarming rate at which mothers of autistic children face scrutiny from social services, including unfounded accusations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII).
Here is a brief summary of the study's findings:
High Social Services Involvement: Over 20% of mothers of autistic children—regardless of whether the mother was autistic herself—reported being investigated by social services for child welfare concerns.
FII Allegations: Approximately 5% of all mothers of autistic children in the study reported either an allegation or a full investigation of FII.
Lack of Maternal Diagnosis Impact: The rates of social services involvement and FII allegations did not significantly vary based on whether the mother herself was formally diagnosed as autistic, self-identified as autistic, or non-autistic.
Worrying Frequency: The study concludes that there is an "alarmingly high frequency" of social services involvement and FII allegations directed at mothers of autistic children.
Recommendation: The authors recommend that local authorities establish a specialist team to conduct needs assessments for autistic children and their families, recognizing this population as a large and growing user group of social services.