Podcast Summary: The Neurodivergent Experience

Episode: Hot Topic: What Fake Reason Causes Autism This Week?

Hosts: Jordan James & Simon Scott
Date: November 14, 2025

Overview

This episode of The Neurodivergent Experience takes a sharp, humorous, and critical look at the recurring trend of media and scientific studies claiming to have discovered new "causes" of autism each week. Jordan and Simon dissect recent headlines about COVID-19, Tylenol, and even circumcision as purported causes of autism, using satire and lived experience to highlight the absurdity and harm of such narratives. The conversation challenges the framing of autism as a deficit or a "bogeyman" to be avoided, emphasizing lived expertise and the real nature of neurodivergence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Satirizing the "Weekly Cause" of Autism (02:10–04:02)

• The hosts open with a mock list of absurd things blamed for causing autism, like “rain,” “pregnant women looking at the sky,” and “Blue Smarties.”
  • Quote:
    Simon (03:41): “Blue Smarties.”
    Jordan: “Yeah, I mean that one is actually true. I was told that it causes ADHD as well. So as you can tell Autism. We are joking. Wallace and Gromit causes autism.”
• The satire underscores the cycle of weak science and media sensationalism that finds new scapegoats for autism weekly.

2. Dissecting the Latest "Study": COVID-19 During Pregnancy (04:02–14:09)

• The episode’s main focus is a recent study linking COVID-19 infection during pregnancy with higher odds of a child being diagnosed with autism or a developmental disorder.
• Jordan and Simon question the scientific merit, highlighting logical fallacies like “correlation equals causation.”
• They discuss public figures (e.g., RFK Jr.) flip-flopping on these theories, and how political agendas bolster pseudoscience.
  • Quote (on contradictory vaccine logic):
    Jordan (08:34): “So I should, I should have Covid, which causes autism, but if I have the vaccine to stop the COVID that causes autism now. And they're like, no, it's a different vaccine that causes autism. And they're like, can you show me the data? And they're like, there was this study.”
• They lampoon the idea that "everything causes autism."
  • Simon (09:12): “They looked at 18,124 babies delivered...16.3% of mothers who had a COVID infection during pregnancy had children who were diagnosed...Only 9.7% of children whose mothers didn't record a COVID infection...And here comes the quotes..."

3. Critique on Framing Autism as Tragedy (10:36–13:41)

• The hosts challenge the narrative that being autistic is inherently negative or tragic.
  • Quote:
    Jordan (11:45): “Getting the autism. Being autistic is not the worst thing in the world ever...a very small minority of autistic people have severe debilitating disabilities, not severe disabled autism. We're all autistic. The same level of autism. We have autistic brains or neurodivergent brains. Most of us...are mostly disabled by society and how we're treated...”
• They argue that lack of accommodations, rather than autism, is often the true barrier to thriving.

4. The Pseudoscience Cycle: Tylenol, Circumcision, and Political Pandering (15:05–27:36)

• Simon and Jordan critique how each new “cause” ignores the genetic foundation of autism in favor of attention-grabbing headlines or lawsuits (e.g., Tylenol being sued for causing autism).
  • Quote:
    Jordan (16:15): “If you're going to research and look into what causes completely debilitating disabilities for life, then do a good job of it. Do proper science, not political science, not headline science...this is lazy. This isn't real. This is just lazy bollocks.”
• They discuss RFK Jr.’s claim that circumcision is linked to autism, noting its anti-Semitic and illogical undertones.
  • Quote:
    Jordan (23:05): “So apparently that is a lot of autistic Jewish people out there...this does feel very anti Semitic...”
  • They make clear that RFK and others simply invent causation with no scientific backing as “brain gymnastics.”
• Medical professionals often seem less informed than advocates; the hosts relay their own experiences with doctors misunderstanding basic neurodivergence.
  • Simon (25:54): “Why is it that every time I go to a medical professional, they look at me and they go, well, obviously it must have been that you played Halo a lot as a kid...What’s that got to do with the price of fish?”

5. The Real Science: Genetics & Synaptic Pruning (27:36–33:51)

• Jordan asserts the well-supported genetic basis for autism and critiques mainstream studies for ignoring established factors like synaptic pruning (the process of brain development thought to be altered in autism/ADHD/dyslexia).
  • Quote:
    Jordan (32:10): “If any study doesn't mention synaptic pruning whatsoever, to me, it has no validity whatsoever because that's where it all starts...”
• Both note that their best information about autism comes from advocates, not professionals.
  • Simon: “neurodivergent people studying being neurodivergent are the best people to listen to, to learn about being neurodivergent.” (29:47)

6. Media Critique: Who Gets Heard? (29:46–33:51)

• The hosts question why sensationalist or poorly designed studies dominate mainstream media coverage, while more robust, credible research and neurodivergent voices are often sidelined.
  • Simon (31:20): "...this world that we're living in now, rules don't apply if it doesn’t suit your agenda.”

Memorable Quotes by Segment

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |------------|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:41 | Simon | "Blue Smarties." | | 09:12 | Simon | "They looked at 18,124 babies delivered...16.3% of mothers who had a COVID infection during pregnancy had children who were diagnosed..." | | 10:36 | Jordan | "Yeah, this just feels like the opposite to RFK. So they're trying to fight against RFK, but just using autism as like the enemy." | | 11:45 | Jordan | "Getting the autism. Being autistic is not the worst thing in the world ever... Most of us...are mostly disabled by society and how we're treated..." | | 16:15 | Jordan | "If you're going to research and look into what causes completely debilitating disabilities for life, then do a good job of it. Do proper science, not political science, not headline science... this isn't real. This is just lazy bollocks." | | 23:05 | Jordan | "So apparently that is a lot of autistic Jewish people out there... this does feel very anti Semitic..." | | 25:54 | Simon | "Why is it that every time I go to a medical professional, they look at me and they go, well, obviously it must have been that you played Halo a lot as a kid...What’s that got to do with the price of fish?" | | 32:10 | Jordan | "If any study doesn't mention synaptic pruning whatsoever, to me, it has no validity whatsoever because that's where it all starts..." | | 29:47 | Simon | "neurodivergent people studying being neurodivergent are the best people to listen to, to learn about being neurodivergent." |

Notable Moments & Tone

• Humor and Satire:
  The show is peppered with biting wit and mockery, e.g., “Autism Grommet. It’s the autism. The moon is made of Gorgonzola.” (03:54)
• Personal Experience:
  The hosts draw from their own lives as autistic people, both to clarify the science and to underline the societal barriers that truly matter.
• Vocal Advocacy:
  Jordan and Simon strongly advocate for prioritizing advocate-led research and community knowledge over sensationalist mainstream narratives.

Listener Engagement

• The hosts encourage listeners to comment with their own “funniest” absurd things blamed for autism, promising to read selections on a future episode.
  • Jordan (34:06): “Comment the funniest things you can... we’ll read out some funnies.”

Final Thoughts

Jordan and Simon close with a reminder to be skeptical of headlines, trust lived experience and genuine scientific rigor, and recognize that neurodivergence is not a deficit. They reaffirm the show’s mission: challenging misconceptions and championing neurodivergent voices.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 02:10: Opening satire on absurd “causes” of autism
• 04:02: Discussion of the latest COVID-autism study
• 10:36: Critique of the “autism as a tragedy” narrative
• 15:05: On pseudoscience and politics (Tylenol lawsuits, RFK Jr., circumcision)
• 27:36: Why real science (like synaptic pruning) is ignored
• 29:46: Media coverage and who shapes public understanding
• 33:51: Closing remarks and listener engagement

Bottom line:
This episode sharply critiques both the pseudoscience and the cultural narratives which continue to stigmatize autism, arguing for a move toward genuine research and acceptance, informed by neurodivergent people themselves.