I am autistic. I know, shock horror! I am also staunchly anti-fascist because I am not a wildly insecure white man who refuses to go to therapy. So, when Trump blamed autism on Tylenol use during pregnancy, my ears pricked up. It’s not just that this is an undoubtedly false and dangerous piece of misinformation — I am curious as to why RFK Jr and Trump chose this specific talking point. They could have gone in a different direction, one that is even more damaging, but that would have concentrated power in them infinitely more. And the fact that they didn’t take this route is telling, to say the least. Let me explain.
Let’s start off with the fact that neither Trump nor RFK Jr provided any evidence to support this dramatic shift in policy. Not even a rushed, hastily written report by ChatGPT with fake citations. That alone is pretty insane, and under normal circumstances would lead to resignations, firings, investigations and impeachments. This shows we have truly entered the post-scientific era.
Let’s also point out that autism was officially defined in 1943, with the term first being coined in 1911, and there are medical reports about autism-like symptoms that date back to the 1800s. Meanwhile, Tylenol, also known as paracetamol or acetaminophen, was first synthesised in 1893 but wasn’t used as a painkiller until 1955. So, no matter how you measure it, our awareness of autism outdates the invention and use of Tylenol.
But here’s the thing: there was a study conducted of over two million pregnancies which found that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy correlated with an increased likelihood of autism in the child. So, why didn’t Trump or RFK Jr cite that?
Because while the study itself was solid, that insight was an utter fucking joke.
For one, it found that the increased “risk” of the child developing autism was only 0.09%. From what I can see, that is within the margin of error, and would not otherwise be considered a significant risk. Especially when Tylenol is used to control fevers during pregnancy, which have a far, far higher risk of severe adverse health impacts to a foetus.
Calling this a “risk” is also wildly dehumanising. In the vast majority of cases, neurodivergence is not detrimental. All it means is that our brains process information differently. It is not better or worse than a neurotypical person. Sadly, our built environments are optimised for neurotypical people, which can lead to autistic people experiencing deep trauma, as we are forced to bend to fit in. In fact, studies into comorbid C-PTSD and autism often struggle to find a control group of autistic people who do not have CPTSD, even though we know CPTSD is not caused by neurodivergence. So, it is true that we neurodivergent people are struggling, but the science overwhelmingly points out that this isn’t because of our condition but the hostile social environment around us. Reports like this, and RFK Jr & Trump’s actions, only further my point.
What is interesting is that if you correct for family factors, this correlation disappears. A recent study took this data and used it to conduct a sibling control study. It looked at siblings where one had been exposed to Tylenol during pregnancy and one hadn’t to see if this correlation remained, and ultimately it didn’t. If Tylenol were a “risk” factor, it should have remained. That is why RFK Jr and Trump didn’t cite that study, because its findings have already been widely debunked!
Also, we do actually know what causes autism! Legitimate science has found that autism is likely a complex genetic condition that is inheritable. In other words, if you or your partner are autistic, your children will likely be too. So the real cause of autism is that we are just too damn sexy…
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