This isn’t about left versus right. It’s about science versus pseudoscience. - Dr. Jessica Knurick

Many thanks to Dr. Botha for her cogent analysis of the ridiculous attempts by the Trump regime to tie acetaminophen.

"I can tell you the one thing that people haven't been talking about—that I think is actually the most significant factor in having an autistic child—is having autistic traits yourself or being autistic yourself.” From my interview on @cnn.com's OneThing podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Fellow white people, please read this 🧵, read books about anti-racism, and talk to other white people. This is, as the young people say, an us problem. It is now and always has been about white Supremacy. It is on us to clean up the mess our ancestors and white contemporaries made and keep making.

I didn’t get my #Autism from Tylenol, vaccinations, a doorknob, or the wrong kind of ocelot. Autism is extremely heritable. Mine is a family heirloom from my father’s side. Now that I’ve cleared up that bit of confusion, #ReleaseTheEpstienFiles. FFS.

Thank you so much for the research you’re doing, and for telling us about it. We need all the research we can get on Autistic Elders.

When media and policy push narratives that portray autism as a burden or a danger, Black autistic people pay a high price. We already live at the intersection of racism & ableism. These narratives increase violence, misdiagnosis, and invisibility.

I have my own trauma as the “wrong kind” of Black girl used as everyone’s emotional regulation while they ignore the same MH/ abuse in me to justify behavior to me AND I don’t like when people mock folks for making the conclusions the world is structured to have them make

Trump’s attack on vaccines yesterday — delivered from the White House — “was the most dangerously irresponsible press conference in the realm of public health in American history” @pauloffit.bsky.social told us. More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social

Our work is not done… 📌 Sinclair Broadcast Group is still refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC affiliates nationwide. Folks, you know what to do. Google Sinclair-owned networks and channels in your city and act accordingly.

Tired of seeing autism used as a scapegoat especially when Black autistic people have fought so hard to be seen, supported, and safe, we still aren’t even those things, We’re not your stereotype. We’re not your excuse. We are here

Please read the whole thread. Your autistic loved ones will appreciate it.

On Trump, autism and tylenol: A student I was talking to today had it exactly right on this latest White House bullshit claim “It’s at the perfect intersection of hating disabled people and wanting women to be in pain” There’s not only no link, the claim is both ableist and misogynist.

Nobody I respect has anything good to say about the garbage the White House spouted today. #ScienceIsReal #PseudoscienceIsDangerous

Things today's White House autism announcement did not do: -Discuss strategies to increase supports and services for autistic people/families -Highlight why autistic people and families deserve respect, not pity or fear -Endorse one speck of autism research that is not dangerous pseudoscience

"People who received a different diagnosis or no diagnosis in prior generations now have an autism diagnosis, said Ari Ne’eman, an assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard. "That’s not an epidemic—it’s better understanding of a disability that’s likely always existed."

On that leucovorin-autism nonsense being pushed by the White House and HHS today: Our science editor @ejwillingham.bsky.social "fears promoting leucovorin as a treatment for autism is similar to how some touted ivermectin as a COVID-19 antidote." In @usatoday.com: www.usatoday.com/story/life/h...

THIS 👇👇👇

ALWAYS listen to the science…The benefit of vaccines outweigh the risks. I was born with an extra electrical pathway in my heart. I have had 2 ablations and am less than a year from a new device implant. I never doubted getting the jab. If you can get the shot…don’t hesitate. #RemoveRFK

Please read pathobiologist Nsikan Akpan’s @monscience.bsky.social entire thread on ACIP’s second session. Then get this year’s COVID-19 booster ASAP. It’s urgent.🚨

“Eleven officials were arrested inside the building while attempting to inspect holding rooms on the 10th floor that are the subject of ongoing litigation alleging squalid conditions and overcrowding, according to a coalition of politicians, advocates and faith leaders involved in the protest.”

“The officials had gone to the holding facility to see if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was complying with a preliminary injunction issued Wednesday that requires the agency to limit capacity, ensure cleanliness and provide sleeping mats, among other remedies, the coalition said.”

“‘What I saw on the 10th floor today was both disgusting and cowardly,’ the Brooklyn Democrat said. After the immigration officials were finished, ‘they laughed, and I heard them laugh about what they were doing, and they should absolutely be ashamed of themselves.’” www.huffpost.com/entry/new-yo...

Press warned to back up as DHS police take lawmakers were taken away in zip ties, among them Comptroller Brad Lander and 10 other state reps including Bobby Carol, Marcela Mitayanes, Julia Salazar, Emily Gallagher, Jabari Brisport, Jessica Gonzalez Rojas,... story TK

Just now, 11 state and city lawmakers were arrested by DHS police on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza after a hour of demanding access to the ICE lock up on the same floor. @thecity.nyc

Let’s be clear. Woke was never about cancel culture; it was about awareness of racial injustice. What we’re seeing now has nothing to do with woke. This is fascism, a suppression of American liberties

Monarez: "Kennedy demanded 2 things of me that were were inconsistent w/ my oath of office. He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation regardless of the scientific evidence. He also directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause"

If you think you’re safe from Trump and his minions, you are not. But even those of us who are lucky (read privileged) enough to escape his revenge tour, need to protect our more vulnerable neighbors, because that’s how decent humans behave.

yeah

This is precisely what my brother almost died of as a baby and his lungs never recovered. I do not recall a single year where he didn't suffer with some kind of chest infection. He's 30 this year. He wouldn't be here if it weren't for several doctors/nurses, and vaccines protecting him.

New paper: “Executive dysfunction means the brain doesn’t always send the necessary signals to get moving. For some, just beginning the day’s tasks can feel like pushing a boulder up a mountain.” TY @neuroscientist.bsky.social.

This is my friend’s Laura Anne’s kitty, Castiel. He is a very good boy who needs some medical attention. Please join me in lending a helping paw, if you can. gofund.me/c5956fa5f

BREAKING: The CDC is temporarily ending remote work. The decision leaves scores of employees in the lurch, even forcing people with disabilities with high-support needs to come into the office. #disability www.statnews.com/2025/09/16/c...

By my count none of the deaths of young Black people found dead and hanging anywhere in this country in the last few decades were considered foul play. There have been several.

Reminder that in 2011, Trump questioned how Obama got into Columbia and Harvard.

Dr. Neff: How do sensory differences lead to mental health misdiagnoses? They can show up in the therapy room disguised as (or intermingling with) other areas like anxiety of OCD. And many professionals don't have good sensory training, and can opt for harmful interventions. #neurodiversity #SNS25

Mental health is health. Advocating for your whole self, including your bodily autonomy and sensory system, protects your health. #Neurodiversity #SNS25

Neff: It is possible for one person to be hypo-sensitive in some areas, and hyper-sensitive in others. We need to understand our own sensory profiles, to understand our own behaviors and thoughts and reactions. What triggers us, and soothes us. #neurodiversity #SNS25

Damn right! Often I hear someone make a good point at a presentation and I want to quote-re-skeet it by simply appending “FFS” 🤦‍♀️. #Neurodiversity #HonorYourOwnSensorySystem #SNS25

Petix: How can we create sensory-friendly environments for various neurotypes? Lighting: Avoid overhead fluorescents. Visuals: Videos or visual guides to explain first visits & protocols. Flexible seating. Sound absorptive materials, noise-canceling headphones, amplification. #neurodiversity #SNS25

Guessing my sensory system is less malleable than than my ability to mask my sensory overload. At 62, I’m less willing and able to mask. Sometimes practice doesn’t make perfect. Sometimes practice makes unmasking impossible. #AutisticAging #SensorySystems #MaskingIsPrivlegeAndDanger #SNS25

Autistic pattern recognition sometimes makes you feel cursed by Apollo and you’re Cassandra yelling into the void while everyone calls you crazy until the shit you said would happen happened

An armchair diagnosis of Margaret Thatcher as autistic was not anywhere on my 2025 Autism Bingo Card. RFK the Lesser’s diminishing logic, though, is something any Thinking Person could have anticipated. Please read & subscribe to Dr. @ejwillingham.bsky.social ‘s newsletter on @thinkingautism.com

Grateful that we can all get our COVID vaccines here in New York State. I got mine on Wednesday. If you can, please get vaccinated and help keep yourself, your family, and your community safer.

Once again, I’m an old white woman reminding my fellow white people that white supremacy is stochastic terrorism white people created and perpetuate toward Black people. We made this mess, we must work on and with each other to clean it up.

A shul that designates a space for people who cannot fast to quietly eat and drink is a community that accommodates disability well It is not right to make people who cannot fast feel that they need to remove themselves from shul to perform the mitzvah of פיקוח נפש

Amen: “If you’re putting out a report that’s supposed to address how to help our children stay healthier, and you’re not even mentioning the No. 1 cause of childhood deaths, you ought to be embarrassed,” said Bruce Mirken, a spokesperson for Defend Public Health”

"Black autistic adults, along with autistic women and LGBTQ+ autistic people, may encounter compounded barriers to acceptance, identity development, and belonging. [We need] more inclusive research & supports that attend to the diversity of autistic experiences." www.liebertpub.com/doi/epub/10....

One thing I think about sometimes is how different the world would be if fancy prestigious places perceived accessibility as fancy and prestigious.