Back in the 1950s, a psychologist proposed that ‘refrigerator mothers’ (moms who are cold or neglectful) cause their child’s autism. That theory was later discredited, yet the impulse to assign blame persists. From Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu’s claims that childhood vaccines cause autism to Donald Trump’s Tylenol (paracetamol) warning to pregnant moms, fresh misinformation keeps surfacing. Experts have pointed out that neither theory was backed by science, but parents of neurodivergent kids told that these debates distract from what really matters — empathy and inclusion Writer-producer, autistic dad to an autistic boy I live closely with the world of autism. I have a 20-year-old, hilarious, brilliant teenager who’s on the spectrum and was diagnosed at about age two and a half. I’m

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