The Impact of Trump’s Tylenol Claims
Recently, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has commented on ‘rising rates of autism’, resulting in mothers' use of Tylenol (also known as paracetamol or acetaminophen) during pregnancy, increasing the ‘risk of autism’ in children. He urged expecting mothers and children to refrain from taking Tylenol unless absolutely necessary. This sparked concerned questions from mothers, such as 'What should I do? Do you think it's safe? I just took Tylenol last month. Do you think I already hurt my baby?' These are examples of the questions we're hearing’ (Dr Rana Alissa, paediatrician in Jacksonville). Doctors have put out reassuring statements assuring that sound science confirms that the use of Tylenol does not increase the chance of people being on the autistic spectrum. Supporting this, the invention of Tylenol occurred after significant attention was given to autism and neurodiversity. Trump has also commented on the ‘problem’ with childhood vaccines in the same sense. The focus of this blog is not a political one. Nevertheless, I feel that it is necessary to provide context to the topic and offer a background on what has. Occurred to discuss the real focus: the issues on young people and mothers have, from a human perspective.
Firstly, I believe there seems to have been ‘rising rates of autism’ over the past decade, not because there are more people on the autism spectrum, but simply that more people are talking about it and being honest and open about their feelings. I feel that one of the positives of the increase and accessibility of social media has been the opportunity for people to find others who share similar experiences or feelings and can speak honestly and openly with them. This can help people to feel less lonely, gain confidence to speak to a professional or someone else that they trust in their personal life and perhaps also see the positive side of whatever situation they may be in. My view is that this could affect the neurodiverse community, providing them with what can be a safe space to talk openly about their feelings, resulting in more people seeking diagnosis, and therefore the ‘risk rates of autism’ that Trump is talking about. There aren’t more neurodiverse individuals; we are just more comfortable, and so are talking about it more.
Moving on to the impact that such a statement, made by such a public figure, can have on the parents, particularly the mothers. Mothers spend (roughly) 40 weeks nurturing and looking after their baby before they are born, then devote so much energy, time, love and care into their upbringing, supporting their journeys, whatever that looks like. There is so much emotion involved, and therefore, guilt can so often slip in. A study from Peanut and Tommee Tippee in 2023, looking at the experiences of 2000 British mothers, revealed that 95% of mothers experience guilt and 65% feel pressure to be the ‘perfect mother.’ With that in mind, having someone, never mind someone with as much of a social presence as Trump, tell you that your actions to help reduce your own pain and discomfort have led to your child having autism must evoke so many negative feelings of stress, guilt and upset. The way that it has been framed also leads to an inference that having neurodiverse children is something negative. BBC News commented on Trump wanting to ‘make America healthy again.’ This, alongside his comments around vaccines and Tylenol, put forward the idea that being neurodiverse is something that is a problem and one that needs fixing. The impact that this can have on the parents and particularly the mothers, is immeasurable. Motherhood is deeply complex and emotional, and it is really sad to me that so much blame is being placed on them for something that isn’t a negative thing. The value of a child should not be reduced to whether they are neurodiverse or not. They can achieve whatever their individual dreams are and have passions, love and optimism, however that looks for them.
This leads me on to talk about the impact that these comments may have on those who are neurodiverse. As I have touched on in reference to mothers’ guilt, these news stories have a habit of framing autism in a negative frame. It also places neurodiverse individuals in a group, separate from the rest of society, marginalised and talked about by those who exist outside of that group. This simply shouldn’t be the case. The spectrum that is neurodiversity is so vast, experiences of having autism can be so different and can challenge those individuals in different ways. To place all members of the neurodiverse community in a box, locked away from everyone else, is to reduce them and to ignore their personalities and diverse experiences. This, I imagine, can feel deeply damaging and perhaps invite feelings of loneliness, not feeling heard or understood.
Something true of all members of the neurodiverse community is that they all matter, have aspirations and feelings that need to be valued, have experiences that need to be listened to and be at least attempted to be understood. I feel that these news stories disregard all of these things and instead label these people as a problem, something that needs to be reduced. If everyone's experience of being a human being were the same, the world would be a boring place. Everyone, no matter what characteristics they hold, has value and should be treated as such.
Thank you for reading!
