T****’s attack on our community
People in power like T**** are the reason stigma continues to plague the neurodivergent community.
I don’t even like to say his name out loud, so nor will I type it without censoring it. I’m sure many of you know who I am referring to in my blog title. The US President continues to baffle me with the misinformation his government continues to spread. I could rant on this topic for a long time and properly write a book, but today, I want to focus on what was announced on Monday night.
T**** declared that reliable evidence supposedly proves that autism is caused by pregnant people consuming Tylenol (acetaminophen, known as paracetamol in the UK). Pregnant people often take paracetamol to manage common symptoms of pregnancy, including headaches and abdominal pain(1).
T****’s administration loves to speak of an autism epidemic. Not only is it abhorrent to frame autism as an epidemic, but the claim that Tylenol causes autism is unsubstantiated and extremely offensive. Many medical experts and regulatory bodies have already called it highly concerning and unsupported(2).
This claim is extremely harmful for the following reasons:
1. It fuels stigma against autistic people
The fake claim reinforces the idea that there is something ‘wrong’ with us and that we should be cured or prevented. It echoes the same anti-vax rhetoric that campaigns to ‘prevent’ autism(3).
2. It burdens parents with guilt
Parents may blame themselves for their child’s neurodivergence, believing they ‘caused’ it or that they could have ‘prevented’ it. I’m sure you know my stance by now, but I’ll reiterate: autism is not something to prevent or cure. The most harmful thing for autistic people is a non-neuroaffirming society that continuously damages our mental health and well-being.
3. It endangers pregnant people’s health
Pregnant people who avoid this safe medication because of the false claims made could put themselves and their babies at serious risk. Untreated fevers or severe pain can be greatly concerning during pregnancy(4). They are playing with people’s health.
The REAL crisis
This is an ableist attack on our community; it’s an attack on evidence and on science. It tells autistic people that our existence is a mistake, it tells parents with autistic children that it’s their fault.
It shifts attention away from the real issues that we face as autistic people, including (but not limited to): systemic ableism, inaccessible education, employment discrimination, lack of community support and an administration that sees us as a problem to eradicate.
We are not an epidemic or a public health crisis; we are a key part of human diversity.
The real crisis is that our world is plagued by ableism. The real crisis is that one of the world’s most powerful and influential administrations would rather scapegoat us than address the ever-growing barriers in the US in healthcare, education, housing and employment.
Every moment that is spent amplifying pseudoscience is a moment stolen from building neuroaffirming spaces.
Our community is strong
I, for one, absolutely reject this misinformation. I choose to stand with science and medical evidence over an administration that is trying to abolish equity, diversity and inclusion(5), and I refuse to bend to what is an outright ableist narrative.
In the face of the current state of our society, which is fuelled with disinformation and attacks on diverse communities, our strength must lie in solidarity; we must join and uplift one another through amplifying our truths and challenging harmful narratives.
To my beautiful autistic community and allies, I ask you to unapologetically stand firm, speak your truth and share knowledge that is grounded in facts and evidence.
We are not a tragedy to be set right; we are not the problem. The problem comes from a society that refuses to embrace our neurodiversity.
Our resistance must be stronger than their despicable disinformation.
Sources:
2. The Guardian (2025) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/22/trump-tylenol-experts-autism
3. FactCheck.org (2025) https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/the-facts-behind-claims-on-autism-tylenol-and-folate/
5. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (2025) https://civilrights.org/resource/anti-deia-eos/
Image credit:
vejaa, Adobe Stock
