Autism is NOT Caused by Vaccines or Tylenol

My name is Anne Marie, and I taught high school English in special education and regular ed classes for nine years. During that time, I taught many students on the spectrum, each of whom I loved so dearly for being exactly who they were. I quit teaching during COVID because I could not manage the extra stress it was causing me, which ultimately led to my own late diagnosis of ADHD and autism. I struggled my whole life, not realizing that the struggles I was facing weren’t the “norm” and that I was overworking myself to burnout in a lot of areas in my life. That being said, I also know ADHD and autism to be biological and heritable traits, unique aspects of our personalities and things that make us unique human beings with beautiful visions and ways of seeing the world. That being said, I can’t think that vaccines or Tylenol are the source of something so beautiful if while it has its own unique struggles and drawbacks, it is also a beautiful gift and welcomed condition that only shows how unique human beings on this Earth are, which absolutely should be celebrated, not looked on as a terrible thing.

A simple search on Google or AI will tell you that although there COULD be some recognizable commonality between vaccines and autism, this cannot be seen as the cause, because there is not enough evidence suggesting a strong link to solely external factors. If you open up any book or do any quick research about neurodivergence (ADHD, autism, and Asperger’s), you will learn that there is specific biology and heritable traits passed down from parents that play a key role in autism developing in a child. Autism, ADHD, and Asperger’s are conditions that a child will have at birth, it is not something that can develop later in life. Sometimes, but not always, there are recognizable signs and patterns of behavior to indicate such. However, there is no medical way of determining whether a child may have autism prior to the child’s grade level experiences in schooling. On the other hand, modern technology and science CAN predict the development of other disabilities in children prior to and at birth, such as Down Syndrome and other chromosomal linked disabilities.

However, that doesn’t mean autism and ADHD are any less connected to our DNA. In my experience, I know my mom has ADHD. She was never diagnosed because she is a Boomer and at that time there was not enough knowledge or research to understand these conditions, and therefore kids were largely told to “suck it up” if they experienced milder symptoms of mental illness or disability in that time. Only the more extreme cases that had the most outwardly noticeable traits were diagnosed, and even then, people were misdiagnosed with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia rather than autism or ADHD.

Another determining factor with autism has to do with the age of the parent. Parents in their 30s or later have a higher chance of passing down traits that contribute to ADHD and autism, regardless of if the parent has it. (These traits could be dormant in both mother and father, and somewhere in the past family history, you will see it presenting with some.) In the case of fertility, a lot of conditions are more likely to appear in the child when the parent is older than the typical birthing age, and this research is across the board with other conditions, and it is not entirely certain why that is.

Sometimes, but not always, specific traits in early childhood can be linked to the likelihood of the child having autism. I learned about this while studying early childhood development and psychology in school, and it is actually very fascinating to learn about. Certain traits, such as extreme interest in something (trains, a particular toy, etc), as well as distinct social features in early childhood can be signs of autism. For example, sometimes, children play and use their imaginations with others. This is called “pretend play”. Parents pretend play with their kids early on to teach them about socializing and playing with others.

Children with autism typically do not respond to this in the same way as children without autism. They may seem more disengaged and prefer to play by themselves, while a child with normal development will tend to be more social with their parents, playing and seeking that social interaction and attention from their parents regularly.

However, this is not the ONLY determining factor of ADHD or autism, because sometimes, it can be very difficult to pick up on these early signs. This is why a LOT of adults end up diagnosed, because the children’s signs may have been more subtle. Teachers may not have picked up on it in grade school, and it is only until adulthood in which the person with autism or ADHD starts really experiencing issues with independent living and executive functioning until they notice and are diagnosed with the condition. So many people have that security of parents for a lot longer nowadays, so it is very likely for children with autism and ADHD not to really struggle with it until they are on their own for the first time (either at college or moving out and getting their first job).

In my case for both autism and ADHD, I had some early signs in childhood, but they were overlooked. Girls especially tend to internalize their symptoms, and are often overlooked because we are afraid to express or ask for help. I was often more inattentive than my peers and prone to daydreaming. Sometimes, I had later responses to things than others, and I struggled with math in school. For instance, in elementary school I did not understand times tables. I had a terrible time with memorization.

When I reached high school and started coming home from school before my mom got home from work, people would often call the house, and it was my job to take down and remind my mother of anyone who called. I would ALWAYS forget, and also forget to write it down, and it used to drive my mom crazy. We would be sitting at dinner two days later and I would say “Oh yeah, mom, so and so called”. She would say “I just asked you about that yesterday and you said no!!!”. She thought I was being lazy or just doing it on purpose, when in reality, I REALLY forgot something that easily and was slow to remember and process this information.

This also presented in middle school and high school for me in my history classes, where I struggled with memorizing dates and important information. My mom had to help me memorize this information, relying on flashcards and rote memory to pass the tests rather than other ways some students might be able to remember and learn. I had to pace around and say what was written on the flashcards out to myself at least 20 times before I could really remember it. (This was also a study tool I used for vocab in English and Spanish classes as well.)

Additionally, as a young child, I often did play by myself, and I had a very wild and active imagination. I had a very odd “quirk” growing up that involved me pacing around back and forth a lot and talking to a stick. I would carry the stick in my hand and talk to it, and my parents were concerned about it, but ultimately did not make a connection to it being related to autism. It was only when I was an adult that I finally discovered that those weird things I did at a very young age, as well as my struggles with math, memorization, and executive functioning tasks were symptoms of autism and ADHD.

With all that being said, I can tell you as a child I did get the standard vaccines every child gets, but I did not get vaccines continuously every year for the flu and such. There were a lot of years that I didn’t get them. Additionally, I was not regularly consuming a lot of Tylenol and to this day I don’t consume much of it. I actually have a little bit of a paranoia with pills (I had a hard time swallowing pills as a kid and always though I was going to choke), so I usually avoid having to take pills for anything if I have to.

All of my experience and evidence suggests the opposite of what RFK is suggesting to society today. It actually suggests that these unique traits were present in me at a very young age, suggesting that heritability and genetic factors are more than likely the strongest links. My mom probably had ADHD but was undiagnosed, then, my brother and I ended up both being on the spectrum, but not my sister. When my sister had a child, my nephew was diagnosed with ADHD. This is a common trait as autism and ADHD can be present among siblings and not in others, and the traits could very well be “dormant” and then pass on to a child, such as in the case of my sister.

Keeping all of this in mind, I believe it is wrong to place so much focus on vaccines and other external factors as being the cause of these conditions. It not only is factually inaccurate, but it paints these disabilities in a more negative light, which can have a detrimental effect on everyone in society who has these conditions. In our society, we have come to accept disabilities as unique qualities that people may possess that may carry with them struggles, but also strengths. They are conditions, but they also are unique parts of our personality and identities as human beings. There is a very human thing about disabilities, autism and ADHD. It’s a way of seeing and experiencing the world that is different than others, and that is not always a bad thing, nor is it something to be shamed for.

We have unique qualities that make us great, that’s why we are called “neurodivergent”, because we typically see things outside of the box. I have a hard time believing that the only cause for something could be vaccines and Tylenol, considering the fact that there is so much more involved in not only having autism, but also managing it,understanding it, and loving it. It cannot be something simply brushed off as an “illness” caused by external factors. “Neurodivergent” itself means dealing with the way the brain processes information, and how we tend to have such a different way of looking at things than the norm, which isn’t always a bad thing.

Treating autism and ADHD like an epidemic to be “cured” minimizes the entire diagnosis, and a lot of people welcome and accept it as a uniquely human experience that some people have. That’s why I think it’s dangerous for RFK and society to be saying we need to try to “prevent autism”. This isn’t something that we can control. God and biology play a huge role, and while there are certainly struggles involved, it is also a gift to be able to see the world in such a unique and beautiful way. The message he is sending I think could lead to dangerous thinking about people with special needs. It will make those of us who do have them feel more like we are “defects” and rejects of society, rather than unique people with lived experiences. He also talked a while back about people with autism, explaining that “these kids are never gonna do this, and never gonna do that”. That’s assuming we aren’t capable of doing things other people can. That’s false. There are lots of things we CAN do, even things we do BETTER than the normal person because of it.

So, my heart does not think it’s right to treat autism and ADHD like an epidemic, but rather take a human approach that CAN factor in some external connections, but also truly sees the heritable biology of it, because that is mostly the thing that determines the chances of a child having autism or ADHD. My advice to people everywhere is to not believe what RFK is proposing about this as if it is gospel. I encourage you to interact with and get to know people on the spectrum, learn about what our lives are like and the challenges we have faced, but also the unique gifts that we can give to society and the world. I think you might change your mind after seeing the many different levels of the spectrum, and how each person can have such a unique and powerful way of living in the world today with ADHD and autism.

We are anything BUT defects or rejects of society, we are beautiful human beings with hearts, emotions, and thoughts. We would rather be treated as such than treated like we have some kind of incurable illness. It is up to you and society to make sure that message is spread to the world so we can prevent intolerances and prejudices from developing about people with special needs. We aren’t really all that different from anyone else, and we are capable, so don’t assume anything. Just give us a chance to change your mind. Give us a chance to shine in society, and never tell a child with autism or ADHD that they will never be able to do something, because nothing is impossible in life, and they have the ability just as much as anyone else to make their dreams come true.