Iain Duncan Smith dangerously distorts scientific research

Cameron’s recent predecessors as Tory leader could at the very best be described as ineffectual. Perhaps the worst of the lot was Iain Duncan Smith who was viewed as such a liability that he was axed before he could be humiliated at the polls.
Strangely Cameron has appointed Duncan Smith as social policy tsar. It would seem that Duncan Smith has been distorting research into childhood neglect and its effect on brain development

Duncan Smith has asserted that children from broken homes and dysfunctional families have undeveloped brains and start school with the mental capacity of one-year-olds

He has even attempted to draw a link between brain development and crime. In a private speech at the Centre for Social Justice, Duncan Smith said neuroscientists had identified "physical signs" of neglect that could indicate a child's likelihood to commit crime in later life, including "the scale and size and capacity of their brains to be able to deal with challenges".

“We keep going back, and as you track back you begin to realise that actually, for far too many people in society crime began before they were born. And that is a really strongly held belief of mine now, and more and more work was done in both social science, but even particularly now backed up by neuroscience demonstrates that the damage that we start children with, is damage that they keep, and that damage becomes more and more difficult as they go through.

"We now know that we can pretty much figure out where an 18-year-old will be at the time that they are two and a half or three years old. Signs are there. There are of course physical signs, including the scale and size and capacity of their brains to be able to deal with challenges. But it is also in their behaviour."

He added the inability of a child to have "imbibed the concept of empathy" from their parent could have profound impacts on their later life.

Duncan-Smith has based these assertions on work undertaken by Dr Bruce Perry, who runs the respected Child Trauma Academy in Texas. Dr Perry is not desperately pleased at the way his research is being used stating that said Duncan Smith had "greatly misrepresented" and "distorted" his work.

Perry’s research assessed the brain development of children who suffered extreme forms of neglect – such as those locked in a basement without human contact – and he said it was wrong to apply the findings to children who have undergone far less severe neglect, such as those from broken homes.

Dr Perry concluded Duncan Smith's comments were an "oversimplification" that "greatly misrepresents the way we would explain the impact of neglect or trauma on the developing brain".

"I do believe that overstating and misunderstanding the neurobiology can lead to confusion, anger, distortion and potentially to bad policy," he said, adding that the claims appeared to be "a terrible distraction from the important issues related to the need to create family friendly, and developmentally informed policy that is aware and informed about the importance of early childhood and brain development".

Duncan Smith denied he had misrepresented Dr Perry's work, whom he acknowledged as the source of his claims about brain development. "I haven't misrepresented his findings. I don't talk about every single child," he said. "The brain size is an example of what happens at the extreme end of that neglect and abuse, which is something I know that he has written about."

Duncan Smith is being stupid or perhaps even dangerous in manipulating research for his own political ends. He’s not the first to do this of course and sadly won’t be the last. But I shudder to think what damage will be caused by distorting research in this way.

There was a good reason why the Tories dumped him as leader. He was bloody useless. Now he is being potentially dangerous in his current role.