Sharing my experiences, learnings and research on Special Education Needs children and children's mental health/neurodevelopment.
Joined November 2021
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AuDHD retweeted
We have seen a lot of talk about why those with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) are entitled to benefits, often calling their neurodivergency their ''super power''
Well, it's not like that at all. Autism and ADHD are very disabling to most, here's why: 👇👇
ALT Disability Info UK infographic on a dark navy and light-blue background titled “Why are those with Autism and ADHD entitled to benefits?” The graphic explains that difficulties associated with Autism and ADHD can extend beyond the diagnoses themselves, and lists associated physical and mental health conditions including gastrointestinal conditions, allergies, hypothyroidism, epilepsy, respiratory conditions, obesity, oral health problems, sleep disorders, food sensitivities and eating disorders, learning difficulties, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, suicidal intentions and self-harm. It explains that some autistic and ADHD people may mask their difficulties, experience burnout, struggle to have their basic needs met, or have difficulty accessing support. It also discusses delayed diagnosis, long waiting lists and reduced support services as factors contributing to increased benefit applications. The graphic concludes by calling for improved mental-health and n
AuDHD retweeted
Most people don’t fake being sick. They fake being well. Maybe read that again. XO, Dr. Jen
AuDHD retweeted
Except, you know, that almost all evidence supports the idea that ADHD is a neuroevelopmental condition.
Embarrassing response from @rcpsych to the excellent Channel 4 documentary on ADHD. The first line of this statement refers to ADHD as a 'neurodevelopmental' condition, ignoring the fact that the documentary lays out very clearly why this is just not true. So reassuring to see psychiatry's leading professional body in the UK pumping out junk science 🙄
AuDHD retweeted
There’s a persistent belief that being highly able somehow “cancels out” SEND,as if intelligence protects a child from autism,ADHD,dyslexia,sensory difficulties,anxiety,exec functioning problems or emotional vulnerability. In reality,high cognitive ability can mask needs for yrs.
AuDHD retweeted
Lets just play out a scenario where a mutated Hantavirus had R0=1.5 (even though it's really <<1.
At a GI of 20 days, it'd take a full year to infect 0.001% of the population. Glacial speeds. Compare that to Omicron in late 2021, the fastest spreading disease known to man:
AuDHD retweeted
So everyone is clear on this:
Superspreading events are not natural R0. There are about 100 cases of ANDV per year the vast majority are from direct exposure to rodent waste and never pass forward. Can't ignore those.
True R0 is probably ~0.5 or less
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AuDHD retweeted
So confounders are not important to take into account in observational studies?
For example, consider the Swedish nationwide cohort study of acetaminophen and autism published in 2024 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3859…), which contains 2.5m children born between 1995-2019 with followup through 2021. Below is a table of clinical characteristics of those children exposed to acetaminophen while in the womb or not.
Are you telling me that you would simply compare the raw autism rate between the two groups (0.7% vs. 0.4%) to assess whether acetaminophen was significantly associated with autism, and a potential causative factor, while ignoring the confounding factors?
Which are extensive, but that women whose children were exposed to acetaminophen in the womb had:
More infection (6.7% vs. 4.4%)
More chronic pain (1.7% vs. 0.8%)
More asthma (1.4% vs. 0.8%)
More rheumatoid arthritis (0.7% vs. 0.1%)
More migranes (0.4% vs. 0.2%)
More fever (0.4% vs. 0.2%)
Higher use of:
Opioids (15% vs. 2.4%)
Antimigrane medication (2.5% vs. 0.7%)
More antidepressants (5.7% vs. 3.1%)
More pscholeptic medications (4.0% vs. 1.0%)
More antiseizure medications (1.0% vs. 0.4%)
A higher % with >10 health care visits year before pregnancy (1.9% vs. 0.7%)
Do you REALLY think that someone who suggests that these confounders need to be taken into account has "conclusions shaped by politics not science", and the person who simply compares the raw rates, ignoring these massive imbalances, and declares acetaminophen use linked with autism is the one following science and not politics?
I sure hope that is not what you are saying, and not what you think.
AuDHD retweeted
Autism hasn’t suddenly skyrocketed. The numbers look bigger today because our definitions and awareness have changed.
In the 1940s, autism was first described as its own condition. Through the 50s and 60s it was often misdiagnosed as childhood schizophrenia. In the 80s it finally became its own diagnosis. In the 90s, the definition widened to include Asperger’s and related conditions. By 2013, everything was brought together under Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Today we know autism is a natural brain difference with genetic roots. More people are identified now not because autism is new, but because the medical community has gotten better at recognizing and diagnosing it.
That’s why what happened today is so damaging. Trump stood on a national stage and treated autism like a tragedy instead of a spectrum. He ignored the diversity of autistic lives. He recycled long-debunked myths about vaccines and medicine. He gave mothers a reason to blame themselves. He confused weak correlations with causes. He spread fear about treating common conditions during pregnancy. He erased autistic voices. And he politicized autism in a way that disrespected the people actually living it.
By doing this, he mocked decades of progress in understanding and acceptance for people with neurodivergence.
I am so frustrated by what I saw today. My heart aches for every advocate who has fought for awareness, dignity, and inclusion only to watch their work undermined in a single speech. You deserve so much more. We all do.
AuDHD retweeted
The announcement on autism was the greatest display of ignorance, unfounded blather, dangerous advice, recycled old nonsense and outright malpractice advice since Trump recommended bleach for Covid. A total laughingstock and embarrassment.
AuDHD retweeted
And, as will come to a surprise to basically no-one who knows anything about this stuff, the observed risk ratio here is actually very similar to that observed when taking painkillers *other than* Tylenol:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…
AuDHD retweeted
Here’s a nice analysis of 2.5M children about Tylenol and autism. The study found a small association between tylenol use in pregnancy and autism, but the association went away in sibling analysis. In sibling analysis you compare children born to the same mother where one child was exposed to Tylenol but not the other. This is a better comparison because genetics are similar between siblings whereas they differ greatly in non siblings from different families. Bottom line: no increased risk of autism with tylenol use in a huge population analysis. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam…
AuDHD retweeted
People don’t realize how safe and effective acetaminophen is for pain and fever. By scaring people away from Tylenol, fevers will either go untreated (dangerous, especially for young children and fetuses) or NSAIDs will take its place, which carry much more significant side effects, like stomach ulcers or kidney injury. It’s not hyperbole to say the president yelling at people not to take this medication will lead to deaths.
AuDHD retweeted
If folate deficiencies caused autism, you would see a sharp drop in the autism-by-birth-year curve in 1997, when folic acid fortification was mandated.
Instead, the curve continued its upward trend unabated.
chris-said.io/2021/06/27/aut…
AuDHD retweeted
Since we are all talking about vaccines it's a great time to remind my fellow millennials that if you have never gotten the HPV vaccine you still can and I highly recommend it. Even if you have had HPV in the past, there are benefits (such as reduced risk of cervical cancer).
