US president Donald Trump’s claim that pregnant women should avoid paracetamol – a statement that is both harmful and not backed by the science – fits into a long and damaging tradition of blaming parents, especially mothers, for autism.
Despite decades of research and a far richer understanding of autistic lives, two myths persist: that parents’ behaviour can somehow cause autism, and that autism is a temporary condition that can be “cured” or simply “outgrown.” Large, long-term studies – and the experiences of autistic people – have repeatedly debunked both claims, yet they continue to surface in public debate.
