Yesterday, the Trump administration announced that they believed they had found the “cause” of autism: Tylenol use during pregnancy.
There are several problems with this assertion, the most obvious being that there is absolutely no evidence that there is a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. But this latest announcement also suggests that:
- It’s the mom’s fault. Asserting that a woman’s use of Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism harkens back to the “Refrigerator Mom” theory promoted in the 1950’s, which asserted that autism was caused by frigid mothers who lacked emotional warmth. In both cases, proponents of these completely false theories imply that people who birth babies are somehow to blame for any challenges the resulting child experiences. It’s misogyny.
- Autism is a tragic disease. Let’s unpack the entire premise of this issue–the notion that we need to identify a cause and a cure for Autism. The Autism community largely rejects the notion that Autism is a disease to be eradicated, but instead is part of normal human variation, a neurotype with a range of traits that vary in both incidence and intensity in each Autistic person. Most Autistic people see their autism as a core part of their identity. Eradicating Autism means eradicating Autistic people.
- Autism is a disability that needs to be cured. Autism is a neurotype that often but not always co-occurs with intellectual, physical, or other disabilities. Autism itself is a disability. But what is a disability?
The medical model of disability is based on the belief that there is something wrong, broken, deficient in an individual, and medical intervention is used to “treat” or “cure” the disability. It’s an individual problem with a clinical solution.
The social model of disability is based on the belief that a disability is the result of the mismatch between a person and the social, physical, attitudinal and economic structure of the world they live in. People whose physical, emotional, psychological, neurological, or cognitive makeup do not fit into the definition of what we deem “normal” or “typical” are forced to live in a world that is not built for them. They are dis-abled.Based on the social model of disability, Autistic people are disabled because the world does not make room for them and their needs.
This administration has a target on the backs of Autistics. They have slashed funding to programs that offer support to people with disabilities. They have slashed Medicaid funding, which many Autistics rely on. They have expressed the desire to create a national, compulsory registry for Autistics. They have demanded that Autistics’ private health information be shared with the government.
As UU’s, we value the inherent worth and dignity of every person, no matter their neurology. We believe that the body is sacred, and bodily autonomy a human right. We must stand with our Autistic and disabled siblings, protect their dignity and self-determination, and counter dangerous misinformation about Autism.
Most of us have limited understanding of Autism. To get factual, research- and lived experience-proven information about Autism from Autistics themselves, here are some resources.
BOOKS
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- Unmasking Autism by Dr. Devon Price
- We’re Not Broken by Eric Garcia
- The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
- I Will Die On This Hill by Meghan Ashburn and Jules Edwards
- Your Child is Not Broken by Heidi Mavir
FILM Understanding Autism https://www.pbs.org/show/understanding-autism/
ONLINE RESOURCES
*Note: Autism Speaks is not on this list for a reason. Read more here.
Finally, go out and get yourself a bottle of Tylenol.
The gold infinity symbol is a symbol for autism that replaces the puzzle piece, the history of which is problematic for many autistic people. AU is the symbol for gold. The infinity symbol illustrates that “spectrum” is not a line, but rather a looping spectrum, and people can sit at any place on that spectrum any given day. To read more: https://aheartforallstudents.com/autism-infinity-symbol…/)
Rise not in fear, but in remembering