Tylenol time travel

RFK Jr and Trump have announced that the “cause” of autism is mothers who took acetaminophen during pregnancy. Not only are there no data supporting this, but chronology falsifies this theory.

 Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler provided one of the earliest documented descriptions of autism-like behavior in 1911. He used the term “autistic” to describe some of the symptoms he observed in patients with schizophrenia, emphasizing their withdrawal from society.

 

American psychiatrist Leo Kanner published a seminal paper in 1943 that is often credited with the definition of autism as a distinct condition. Kanner described eleven children who displayed unique behaviors, including difficulties with social interactions, a preference for routines, and delayed language development. He used the term “early infantile autism” to describe this condition.

 

Kanner’s work was significant because it differentiated autism from schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. He recognized autism as a developmental disorder that begins in early childhood, laying the foundation for future research and understanding.

 

Acetaminophen, however, only became available over the counter in 1960. The burden of proof rests with Trump and RFK Jr to explain how autism could be caused by a drug that hadn’t even been invented.

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