Once again, we see another myth about autism emerging. Earlier this week, President Trump claimed that taking paracetamol during pregnancy causes autism.
He also looked at the MMR vaccine, saying it’s safer to have each vaccine separately. The vaccine myth has been thoroughly debunked, and the doctor behind the "research" was struck off. And yet Trump, believing the lies, has raised it again.
Wherever I go to deliver training, at least one person will still believe vaccines are the issue. This is because, it seems, churches are more likely to believe such claims due to a deep-rooted desire to fix things. Sadly, President Trump has reignited the myth machine and as a result, I know more people will believe this lie - even if they don’t like Trump.
But he’s now added another myth: paracetamol - putting the blame squarely on mothers for something that isn’t their fault.
A closer look at the research shows much of the information collected was incomplete. It also doesn’t take into account the difference between correlation and causation. Good research includes a section on correlation, explains possible reasons for it, and adjusts the figures accordingly.
Autism has long been known to have a genetic element. It’s also known to exist alongside a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Some will also experience pain more severely because of their autism.
So, given that a mother may also be autistic, have EDS, and experience pain more acutely, she will naturally take more paracetamol. Therefore, there is a correlation but not one that indicates causation.
But there are more issues with Trump’s statement.
The prevalence of autism isn’t an "epidemic"; rather, the definition has changed.
It used to be only judged on markers that were seen as either "more severe" - following the now debunked idea of severity being linear - or it was including learning disability as being a marker for autism. (Autism itself isn’t a learning disability, but it is possible to have a learning disability alongside autism.)
Given the fact that many people still "believe" the vaccine myth, we don’t need much imagination to see where it’s going to end up with this new claim.
Many mothers when pregnant take paracetamol, and are especially advised to do so when they have a fever. This is because it’s not good for the baby when the mother has a continuing fever.
There has always been a tendency to search for a "reason" why a child has a specific disability, with most of the blame aimed at the mother - judging her for a perceived mistake; also judging her for costing the state more money because of the care her child needs.
"The problem is an inaccessible world and a lack of understanding."
Autism is a brain difference that affects many areas of life, including how information is processed. The problem is an inaccessible world and a lack of understanding.
Without realising, you’ve probably been treated by an autistic doctor - someone with an eye for details others may have missed. Children in your family might be being taught by an autistic teacher, whose imagination brings to life what those children are learning. You may even have an autistic pastor - often undiagnosed.
Aside from the fact that these ideas coming from Trump are wrong, I don’t want to live in a world without autistic people - they give so much, they open my eyes to things I might miss, and they are such fun. The world would be a boring place without them.
How to support a church friend facing disability
Last month, I wrote about supporting through the onset of disability; I wanted to continue that theme for a while. …