DEEP DIVE: What it was like being autistic this week
Donald Trump has a history of making outlandish claims. But one of the things he said this week had experts in the US and here in Australia sounding the alarm: standing alongside his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr, the US president announced his administration would send out a "physician's notice" warning against the use of paracetamol during pregnancy because of a supposed link to autism. Almost immediately, experts lined up to de-bunk it. In Australia, one said it was "a completely exaggerated reading of the science", while our medical regulator the TGA said the weight of evidence "does not support a causal link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD". So how does this kind of rhetoric impact the autism community? On today's deep dive, we bring you a longer cut of Dave's chat this week with an advocate, Bethany Woodman. Bethany chats about how it feels to be autistic right now, and where the conversation on autism should really be focused. Guests: Bethany Woodman, autism advocate Get the whole story from Hack: Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to the hack podcast Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm
An episode of the Hack podcast, hosted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, titled "DEEP DIVE: What it was like being autistic this week" was published on September 26, 2025 and runs 15 minutes.
September 26, 2025 ·15m · Hack
Summary
Donald Trump has a history of making outlandish claims. But one of the things he said this week had experts in the US and here in Australia sounding the alarm: standing alongside his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr, the US president announced his administration would send out a "physician's notice" warning against the use of paracetamol during pregnancy because of a supposed link to autism. Almost immediately, experts lined up to de-bunk it. In Australia, one said it was "a completely exaggerated reading of the science", while our medical regulator the TGA said the weight of evidence "does not support a causal link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD". So how does this kind of rhetoric impact the autism community? On today's deep dive, we bring you a longer cut of Dave's chat this week with an advocate, Bethany Woodman. Bethany chats about how it feels to be autistic right now, and where the conversation on autism should really be focused. Guests: Bethany Woodman, autism advocate Get the whole story from Hack: Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to the hack podcast Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm
Episode Description
Donald Trump has a history of making outlandish claims.
But one of the things he said this week had experts in the US and here in Australia sounding the alarm: standing alongside his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr, the US president announced his administration would send out a "physician's notice" warning against the use of paracetamol during pregnancy because of a supposed link to autism.
Almost immediately, experts lined up to de-bunk it.
In Australia, one said it was "a completely exaggerated reading of the science", while our medical regulator the TGA said the weight of evidence "does not support a causal link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD".
So how does this kind of rhetoric impact the autism community?
On today's deep dive, we bring you a longer cut of Dave's chat this week with an advocate, Bethany Woodman.
Bethany chats about how it feels to be autistic right now, and where the conversation on autism should really be focused.
Guests:
- Bethany Woodman, autism advocate
Get the whole story from Hack:
- Follow us on Instagram
- Subscribe to the hack podcast
- Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm
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