Hot Topic: What Fake Reason Causes Autism This Week?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Neurodivergent Experience

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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..."

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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.

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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?”

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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)

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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.”

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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." |

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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

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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.

Transcript

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[C]

Oh, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot topic. Hello and welcome to the Neuro Spicy News. Hot topic.

[B]

A fire in the disco, Fire in the taco bin. Whatcha gonna do when Covid causes autism?

[C]

Hide.

[B]

You're a liar. You're a liar.

[C]

You're welcome.

[B]

I can't tell you what we used for the first one that was a shoot. But yes, you'll never know.

[C]

Next, the behind the scenes fun that has us literally crying with laughter. And you'll never know what it was.

[B]

I've got the proper giggles.

[C]

Fomo. Yeah. So this, this is becoming a bit of a trend from. From the US is what causes autism this week.

[B]

Spin the wheel.

[C]

But I mean, you kind of given away the plot. Thanks very much. But before we go into it, I think that it's. We might have a little bit of fun. A little bit of fun. So, Scotty, we're going to go through five things, each of what definitely, definitely causes autism. Because correlation is causation, obviously. Number one, rain.

[B]

Trains.

[C]

Yeah. Pregnant women going on trains. Yeah. Pregnant women looking at the sky.

[B]

Pregnant women looking at autistic people.

[C]

Pregnant women watching television while pregnant.

[B]

A man on the bus who was reading about Pokemon cards sneezed on me.

[C]

Do you know what? I actually believe that one that explains so much Christmas and celebrating it while pregnant causes autism.

[B]

Poetry. Yeah, just poetry.

[C]

Just poetry. Rhymes too. Too many video games from birth causes autism.

[B]

Blue Smarties.

[C]

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.

[B]

Autism Grommet. It's the autism. The moon is made of Gorgonzola.

[C]

Yeah. So the. The latest absolute nonsense, bollocks, tragically stupid shit that is coming out of the nonsensical trash bag of a country at the moment, he says, because it is a wonderful place. It's just not wonderful at the moment, because of Trump. Is Covid during pregnancy linked to autism developmental disorders. Study says. Brilliant headline.

[B]

He's got a lot to say for this. This study, hasn't he? Study says, Mr. Study, we're on to you. Oh, dear. Mothers who have had Covid during pregnancy are more likely to have children diagnosed as neurodevelopmental disorders by the age of three, apparently, according to study a.

[C]

A study. So the study.

[B]

Study. Yeah, it's Mr. Study, so.

[C]

Or autistic children's mothers had Covid, therefore, Covid causes autism. At what point. At what point is anyone just going to realize how dumb this is and stopped doing it? Because it is. It is a new thing each week. And I do love the fact that RFK is now saying that it might not cause Tylenol, might not cause autism, and he's kind of backtracking. And most things that I've read is because apparently Tylenol are getting sued by a Texas governor. Like, he's suing Tylenol for causing autism. And I'm like, God damn. If there's anything more American than the goddamn Texas senator suing Tylenol for autism. I don't know what is more American or dumb American.

[B]

There's only two things in Texas we will not stand. That's foreigners and goddamn cuddly toys. I will not stand for this.

[C]

If you don't want to look me in the eye, I will slap the eyes out of your face.

[B]

Shake my hand, boy. You better shake my hand, boy.

[C]

We're so good at America. Do you know what? The amount of American podcasts I listen to that will do British accents, and they just. They're just tragically bad. But the other host is like, oh, that was so good. And I'm just like, yeah, that's as good as Mel Gibson does a Scottish accent in Braveheart. So not great.

[B]

Or Kevin Costner's Nottinghamshire accent in Robin Hood.

[C]

Don't you mock my Robin Hood.

[B]

How.

[C]

How dare you, sir. How that. How dare you? My favorite. Are we getting well off the subject? How near a diversion of us. My favorite bit in that movie is Will Scarlet, who is. Spoiler alert, Robin Hood's brother in this movie.

[B]

Film is nearly 40 years old and you're spoiling it for me.

[C]

And he's, he's also American as an American accent.

[B]

There's only one other person in this woods that's got an American accent. Maybe we're related.

[C]

It's just Kevin Costner and Christian Slater, who are two powerhouses. There's not, there's, I mean, Morgan Freeman's.

[B]

In it as well.

[C]

I mean, let's be honest, this is a great movie. But the accents, not, not, not the best. But anyway, I digress. We, we, we are amazing accents. That's where I was going with that. Jesus Christ. Right? Anyway, Covid now, now cause autism. So we've got people backtracking people, idiots, morons, backtracking about Tylenol, as they well should. And I'm really looking forward to seeing how suing Tylenol for causing autism goes because. 0, 0 facts. But I, I, it's like, Covid, who, who are you suing? And do you know, do you know what is actually really, really funny about this article? And, and you can read more of it in a second because I know the readers. Jesus, where's my brain? The listeners really want to hear this article. But my, what comes to my head straight away is that on one hand people are saying, well, Covid, Covid gives you autism. And they'll go, but vaccines cause autism. So you're like, 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.

[B]

And now we're gonna read a load of numbers at you to confuse the piss out of you. Yeah. So researchers from Mass General, Brigham. I don't know why I've now got the idea that it's like a five star military general that's done this.

[C]

Supposedly a good hospital, but not, not with this.

[B]

So they looked at 18, 124 babies delivered between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, and found that 16.3% of mothers who had a COVID infection during pregnancy had children who were diagnosed with a developmental disorder by the age of three. That's according to a study published in Obstetrics and Gyne and gynecology. Gynecology. Only 9.7% of children whose mothers didn't record a COVID infection were later diagnosed with a developmental disorder by the age of three. And here comes the quotes. These findings highlight that COVID 19, like many other infections in pregnancy, may pose risks to not only the mother, but that. To the fetal brain development. Senior author Dr. Ed Lowe, a maternal fetal medicine specialist in the Department of Obstetrics. I think I'm saying that right. And gynecology said in a press release they also support the importance of trying to prevent COVID 19 infection in pregnancies and are particularly relevant when public trust in vaccines, including the COVID 19 vaccine, is being eroded. A reminder that in May of this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Announced that pregnant women were no longer recommended to get pregnant. Oh, sorry. Receive the COVID vaccine.

[C]

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. It's that, that, that's it. Like, oh, you better have that vaccine or your kid could get autism. And RFK is like, you better not have that vaccine or your kid can get autism. And it's like, does everyone just forget that getting, getting the autism. Getting the autism. Being autistic is not the worst thing in the world ever. It's just not for a very, very small. Keep reminding people, 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, the very large majority we've discussed before, are mostly disabled by society and how we're treated and the problems and the fact that we, we lack reasonable accommodation, but given the right space, the right environment, we absolutely thrive, like, hugely the. And I've said this so many times, the difference between me and a wood with my camera, being free and able to do whatever I want. Me on a busy train heading towards a meeting that I just, I just don't want to be part of. One is incredible, the other is hugely disabling. And yes, both are because I'm autistic, but. But the latter, the worst one, is mostly my fear and anxieties of how I will be treated and how people will treat me.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So that aside with the fact that autism is not the boogeyman, it's nonsense anyway, because they, they, they. I can't believe these are doctors. I cannot believe these are fetal specialists. I cannot believe this. I refuse to accept this. I'm like, where did you go to town college, you absolute numpty. I refuse to believe. Because how do you still not understand that if a pregnant woman has an autistic child, it's because the pregnant woman is either autistic or her partner is autistic, or both of them are like, you can argue with me to the cows come home, crack on. I really couldn't care less because I'm not saying this is a fact because I made it up and because it's somehow advantageous and beneficial to me to say it. I'm saying it's a fact because it's a fippin fact. It just is. It's, it's a, it's, it's just. It is a fact.

[B]

It's like, oh yeah, your child is more likely to, to catch the autism from Netflix and chill than it is a vaccine.

[C]

Literally.

[B]

Literally, like, surprise, surprise. If you and you and your autistic others, you know, get jiggy to Star wars, it might happen. The stork may bring you a special one. And this is the thing that sort of like, absolutely, one, it boils my piss, and two, it makes my brain go, wha.

[C]

What the fuck?

[B]

In the. It's not exactly like these are just sort of, you know, dumpties they've pulled off the street and they're interviewing going, what causes autism? These are like highly respected, highly educated, quote unquote professionals here. Like, these are people that genuinely are spending time and money and energy on doing these studies, seeing all of these numbers and standing around going, oh, so interesting.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And then publishing it as if to be like, guess what, guys, we've done an amazing discovery. Like half of the things that RFK has said has completely contradicted itself since he's been in office. Like, every single thing seems to contradict itself. He's like, don't take vaccines because you give you the kids the tism. And it's like, but Covid gives your kids the tism, but still don't take a vaccine. Like, at what point are they going to run out of things on this big wheel that they spin where they're like, what gives you TISM this week? Like, what's, what's next Rain?

[C]

Like you said, I, I don't. And we'll have a break after this. But I just do not understand the cognitive dissonance of these so called experts, so called medical professionals, that they can't just be like, it is genetic, it is evolution. It is just something that happens to certain people to create diversity in thinking. And then if they want to do studies, say, okay, with these particular group of people why are some of them completely debilitated in life? And let's, let's do studies on that, because that's fine. I mean, if there is a cause for somebody like me, who could be like me, but ends up not being able to, to go the toilet by themselves and needs 24 hour care for the rest of their life, if something has happened to cause that, I, I would, I want to know what that is. I, I do want to know what that is. Yeah, but just saying that these kids are diagnosed autistic and therefore correlations, causation. That's not scientific. That's not science. Stop doing science. That's not science. It's pseudoscience. It's bollocks.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

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. Proper science, not political science, not headline science, not what can make me stand out. So my name's in the paper this week because I do wonder, is it, is this is a popularity contest? Is this somebody trying to get their name out there so they get. I know. Tenure or so they get more money or a book deal or a podcast? Because, you know, people who do podcasts are the worst because this, this is lazy. This isn't real. This is just lazy bollocks. And it's exactly like we said at the top of the show. Like, if you're going by this, then everything causes autism, then everything that a pregnant woman does who's has an autistic child somewhere along the line. What did you do? Open jar of pickles.

[B]

Oh.

[C]

Apparently 10,000 other women who had autistic children opened a jar of pickles. There has to be a reason that they are ignoring the actual facts. And I think that it might be just for celebrity or money and cash, which is what motivates most people.

[B]

Sad but true. Let's take a little break, take a public service announcement moment and we'll be right back.

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This is a neurodivergent experience Public ANNOUNCEMENT if you live in England and you or a loved one is waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment, you don't have to wait years. RTN Diagnostics is now part of the NHS Right to Choose scheme, which means if your local wait for a consultant led autism or ADHD assessment is more than 18 weeks, you can choose RTN instead and it won't cost you a penny. Jordan chose RTN for his own family because their care and attention to detail were second to none. They didn't just diagnose autism and adhd, they looked at the full picture, including pda, ocd, anxiety and more. The team is friendly, neuroaffirming and comprises many neurodivergent individuals, so they truly understand Getting started is simple. Download the GP referral letter and questionnaire from the link in our show notes. Take those to your GP and ask for a referral to RTN Diagnostics. If approved, RTN will be in touch within eight weeks to begin your assessment. Remember, this only applies in England and some exclusions do apply. RTN is not currently able to accept referrals for child ADHD assessments, so check the details before you start RTN diagnostics, helping you get the answers you deserve without the weight. Welcome back to the neurodivergent Experience. Good to know. If you were born north of Milton Keynes, there's a 35% chance you may be autistic. And if for our American listeners, that's just a town in the middle of the country that everyone uses as a divider between the north and the South. If you're not rural, joke for you.

[C]

There, you and and you eat pie while you're pregnant, you are likely to have an autistic child, especially autistic child.

[B]

Oh no. Welcome back everybody. Researchers said that a COVID infection during pregnancy meant a 29 higher odds of a neurodevelopmental disorder, which along with autism, includes speech delays and motor disorders. And they've said, Jordan, watch out. Parental awareness of the potential for adverse child neurodevelopmental outcomes after COVID 19 pregnancy is key. First author, maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Lydia Shook I'm Shook Lydia. But by understanding the risks, parents can appropriately advocate for their children to have proper evaluation and support. The Centers for Disease Control currently state that pregnant women are more likely to get very sick. From COVID 19 and notes that if you have COVID 19 during pregnancy, you're at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and your baby from serious illness From COVID Breaking news.

[C]

I love the fact that somebody spent money on that. By the way, if you're pregnant and you get Covid, you might get sick, you might get sicker. I was like, didn't we know that on like the third day after Covid came out? It was like vulnerable people are more likely to get sick and more likely to be in severe problems. Oh my God, literally America do better. But on, on the back of that, simply because we didn't do a hot topic on this, and I just want to chuck this one in, here is one of my favorite ones which is RFK Jr pushes unproven idea that boys who are circumcised early have double, double the rate of autism. So apparently that is a lot of autistic Jewish people out there that this, this, this does, this does feel very anti Semitic and that does not surprise me from the party that is incredibly very similar to a Third Reich type party.

[B]

So the entire Israel Palestine conflict is blamed us on autism.

[C]

Now I mean let's be fair. I mean my, my parents decided that they were going to chop my skin off when I was a baby. I had nothing to say about that. And yeah, and I'm autistic and that, that must have given it to my kids is me being circumcised. Now before we go too crazy with this, the idea that he in his very worm eaten brain is trying to logically correlate the two is the fact that children who are circumcised then have painkillers. So paracetamol, Tylenol. But ones for babies, I guess some.

[B]

Climb trees and break their arms are more likely to develop autism.

[C]

I don't know why he's looked at, he's read one study somewhere.

[B]

I had a tooth out, I got a filling and now I'm autistic because I had anesthesia.

[C]

What makes me laugh is that I actually looked at the study that he looked at and it, it doesn't some, it does the correlation causation bollocks between circumcision and autism. It does do that but it doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't say that it relates to them taking painkillers. He's just fully added that in himself. The man with zero medical background whatsoever apart from maybe getting like some information of a doctor from Tick Tock is, is literally saying oh, oh this, this, this now proves it this proves the Tylenol gives you autism. It's. It's the, The. The brain gymnastics is that this man must go through. I can't. I can't fathom, like, how do you get there? And, yeah, did you know what. Do you know what is really scary, dude, is that I actually believe that he believes this.

[B]

Oh, he's. He's in it deep, to be honest. Dude, after listening to a couple of interviews about how much RFK likes lizards, I think it's friendly fire. Genuinely, I do. I think. I think this is friendly fire. Like, and this is the thing that sort of, like, baffles me about it is how. How much more are they gonna keep going with this? Like, you and I know this. Like, how many times do you see, quote, unquote, experts come up with all of the reasons for autism and not once talk about synaptic pruning or anything like that? It always amazes me that we seem to know this, you and I, who are advocates, who just, you know, do a podcast, share our experiences and try and help people with our knowledge. We know that I speak to a lot of people that really know it, but every single time I ever speak to, like, a doctor or a professional, I had it. I went to the GP recently for a checkup and I. And they were like, how do you feel with pain in your body? And I says, well, I'm autistic and I've. I've got quite warped into reception. And he just looked at me as if I'd grown a third head. He was like, sorry, what? Like, oh, Christ, I know this, I know this. Why. Why is it that every time I go to, like, 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. Like, right, great. What's that got to do with the price of fish? Apparently quite a lot. Apparently quite a lot. I'm just amazed at how much, like, you know, correlation is causation. They go, pregnant women that took vaccines, paracetamol, add a cup of coffee. But of course, there is going to be data that sort of matches that. But the bit that I don't get is every lesson that I ever got taught in science is if you do an experiment and all of the variables in the environment are the same and you get same result as you would somewhere else with the same environment and the same variables, it is proven to be true. And yet all of these studies with people that are, have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their education and probably even more on. These studies just seem to be like making it up as they go along. It's like asking chat GPT the most random thing ever. And they go, oh, it must be true. Like, I just, I just don't get how anybody can seriously look themselves in the mirror and go, yes on. Even more so how people like RFK can look themselves in the mirror and going, I am helping people with this. I am serving the public with this. I am doing the job that I should be doing as the Secretary of Health of the United States by spouting this, go, Robert, go. Like, I just don't, I don't get how you can look at yourself in the mirror. Seriously.

[C]

Well, I mean, what, what I find really interesting is that first of all, it was Tylenol because the, the mother takes it, so blaming mothers back, back, back to the Connor days, but now it's, it's after they're born as well. So it's like, okay, so you're saying that fetuses can catch autism, as it were, from Tylenol, then infants can get it. So what about, like you said, what about a toddler that falls over and scrapes his leg? And because there is, because there's zero evidence, he can just literally just make up whatever he likes and whatever's in his rotted brain at the time, but it will never add up. And as soon as he's, as soon as anyone questions him on just, it will just all fall apart. But the thing is, is no one ever really does that. That's the thing about this particular political party that is in charge at the moment is that if anyone actually asks them a question that they struggle with, you know, you got, just Trump saying, oh, you're, you're stupid. You're, you're, you're a nasty person because they just deflect everything.

[B]

Maybe people are doing this so that they don't get their funding cut. Yeah, genuinely.

[C]

Yeah, maybe. Well, I mean, like I said, I, I think this particular thing is like anti rfk, because they're saying, well, if you, if you don't have the vaccine, you can catch the autism, which is kind of opposite to what RFK says. But it's, it's still, it's like I said, it's still vilifying autism in general and just saying, oh, this is a bad thing, this is a terrible thing. And it's like, oh, for crying out loud. Yeah, it is, it is remarkable how I've got more information and more understanding on neurodivergent brains and and how they work from advocates recommending particular studies that I've looked into that were peer reviewed and actually proper, properly done and multiple.

[B]

Just published in People's magazine.

[C]

Yeah, multiple. Multiple studies that all correlate to the same answer. It's. Those studies have been shared to me by advocates and have. I've never seen them in articles or magazines or, you know, from, from doctors or medical professionals. I've never ever been told about any of the things that we talk about from professionals, only from advocates, which shows that neurodivergent people studying being neurodivergent are the best people to listen to, to learn about being neurodivergent.

[B]

Yeah, I, I would, I would totally agree with that. You know, we're coming from lived experience backed up by scientific study. But again, I, I totally agree with you. And it baffles me. Why is it that this study is making it into People magazine? Why is it that the Daily Fail will all repost stuff and then we go to like the Independent and the Guardian and we'll occasionally see stuff, but Even then again, 60 of the article could be positive, but the other 40 is incredibly misinformed by studies that just have not had peer review. And that baffles me. Like when I was at university, nothing was sort of given any credit unless it had been correctly peer reviewed. And yet it just seems to me like this world that we're living in now, rules don't apply if it doesn't suit your agenda. It just, I find it so difficult, especially when I think about other late diagnosed people that can find a People magazine article talking about why Covid causes autism just as much as, you know, people are reading articles in, in the US in the Wall Street Journal saying about how water makes the frogs gay. Like, Christ, how is this in the mainstream? And yet things that we know that advocates discuss just seems to not even reach public discourse. I just don't get it.

[C]

Yeah, I, I don't hit barely anyone talking about the reduction in synaptic pruning. Like, I just never. And yet it's, it's everywhere if you look for it. But no one, no one like no study that, that I looked at that studies other things that cause autism even mention it. So if, if any study doesn't mention synaptic pruning whatsoever, to me, it has no validity whatsoever because that's where it all starts. Whether you think it's a positive thing or whether you think it's a negative thing or what causes the lack of synaptic pruning. That is up for debate. It's, you know, but the fact is, is that neurodivergent brains, autistic, dyslexic, ADHD brains, all, all three brains for people who are diagnosed with multiple of those conditions, or even just one, they all have a reduction of synaptic pruning in different parts of the brain for different people. They all have it. It's the one thing we all have in common. And that is just there. Like I said, I have my own idea of why it happens, but I haven't said that. That's a fact. I've said that's. That's what. That's my hypothesis about it being evolutionary beneficial to the human race and so on and so forth. But if, even if you're coming out as it's a negative thing to be autistic and so what causes this lack of synaptic pruning? But they're not even doing that. They're not even mentioning it. So it's like, well, you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Like, no idea what you're talking about. And now I am so done.

[B]

Yes. We shall leave you for another week. Thank you so much for listening to this story writing. What do you think causes autism? I'm intrigued to hear how a man who, you know, looking at Yu Gi. Oh, card sneezed on you. Oh, God. Well, thank you so much for tuning in, everyone.

[C]

Comment the funniest things you can.

[B]

Yeah, just. Yeah, I want some funnies. We'll read out some funnies. So, as always, Monday with Ashley Bentley. Get your week started right. We will be back on Thursday with the main show of the neurodivergent Experience with a hot topic to follow. So as always, people, be safe, be kind, treat yourself well, and be careful what you read. Bye, everybody.

[C]

Nightly. Bye.

[B]

Thanks for tuning in to the neurodivergent Experience. We hope today's episode sparks something for you. Whether it's a new idea, a bit of validation, foundation, or just a moment of connection, remember, new episodes are every week, so be sure to join us for the next one for more conversations and insights into the Neurodivergent Experience. If you've enjoyed this podcast, help us grow. You can do that by rating and reviewing this show. Your support makes a huge difference in helping us reach more people who could benefit from these conversations. You can connect with us on media, social social media, find us on Instagram, Facebook, Tik tok. Just search for the neurodivergent Experience. Thank you again for listening and until next time. Take care of yourself. You're not alone in this journey. How do more than 100 million Fortnite players join the battle without lag?

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AWS is how epic games scales up. To keep them in the action, AWS.

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[A]

On his first day back in the White House, Donald Trump signed a controversial executive order stating that there were only two genders, male and female, and that those genders are tied to biological sex. This statement was simple and devastating, and it signaled that the gender backlash had reached a boiling point. I'm Julie Koehler, the host of White Picket Fence. This season we're examining the many faces of this gender backlash, how it's showing up in our politics and culture. It's a scary time, but it's also a moment for imagination. What becomes possible when we imagine a better future? Subscribe to White Picket Fence Wherever you listen to podcasts.

[B]

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