Linking Paracetamol Use to Neurodiversity is Irresponsible, Harmful, Bullshit

The government of the United States of America made a statement last year linking the taking of paracetamol (aka Tylenol in the US) by pregnant mothers, to neurodivergence in their children. Unsurprisingly, this is nonsense.

There’s a good summary of a new review and meta-analysis of studies in Additude here: Prenatal Acetaminophen Use Not Tied to Autism, ADHD

Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol), also known as paracetamol, does not increase the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability in children.

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“There is no scientific evidence supporting a causal link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism,”

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In contrast, large, methodologically rigorous studies provide strong evidence against a causal link.

It’s appalling that any expectant mother has had to consider whether or not they could harm their child by taking a harmless painkiller. It’s appalling that anyone has questioned whether the mother is responsible for making their child autistic, when they took a harmless painkiller. It’s appalling that the US administration has tried to portray neurodiversity as something that can be caused by a parent’s decision.

It’s appalling that the US administration even considered it’s something they need to fix. Like it causes a problem for society that needs to be solved. Much like immigrants, or transgender people, they love a scapegoat, and that scapegoat is always an innocent group of people who are just living their lives.

Neurodiversity is wildly undiagnosed, still. Rising rates of diagnosis are because it’s becoming better understood. It’s like complaining there are too many stars in the sky because we’ve found better ways of looking into space than a bog-standard telescope.

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