Understanding neurodivergence
Articles based on published research: ADHD, autism, dyslexia, mood, sleep, and what actually helps.
Paracetamol and Antidepressants in Pregnancy: Autism and ADHD Fact-Check
Can paracetamol (Tylenol) or antidepressants taken in pregnancy raise the risk of autism or ADHD? A new umbrella review and a Welsh study of 167,447 children add careful answers: the stronger the study design, the weaker the link. What they found, their limits, and why confounding matters.
Rewards in ADHD and Autism: Same Brain Regions, Opposite Responses
A 2026 meta-analysis of 29 brain imaging studies suggests that ADHD and autism involve the same deep reward regions, but that these regions respond in opposite directions when a reward arrives. What it shows, what it could mean for motivation, and its limits.
MMR Vaccine and Autism: What a Study of 2.5 Million Children Found
A new study of more than 2.5 million US children found no link between a first MMR dose before age 2 and autism. Here is how it was designed to avoid common biases, what it can and cannot say, and why this worry keeps coming back.
RSD in Autistic Adults: What a 2026 Scoping Review Actually Found
Many autistic adults use the term RSD for intense reactions to rejection. A 2026 scoping review found only 12 relevant studies, with mixed results. Here is what the science says, what it does not say yet, and what can help.
Waiting Years for an ADHD or Autism Assessment? What You Can Do Meanwhile
Some NHS areas in England now impose minimum waits of up to two years before an ADHD or autism assessment. The waiting time does not have to be lost: here is what you can safely prepare, and where to turn if things get worse.
Sleep, Body Clock and Mental Health in Autism and ADHD: What Research Says
Insomnia, a late body clock and poor sleep quality are common in autistic people and people with ADHD, and they are tied to anxiety and depression. A 2026 paper in SLEEP, written from lived experience, maps what we know and what research should ask next.
Hundreds of Autism Genes, Two Brain States: What the New Science Study Shows
A September 2026 study in Science found that mice carrying very different autism-risk mutations fall into just two opposite patterns of brain gene activity. It changes how researchers think about autism's diversity. It does not create autism subtypes, tests or treatments.
Chronic Pain and Mental Health: What the 2025 Research Actually Says
A viral post says chronic pain and depression share the same brain circuits. It is right, and a 2025 review of nearly a million people shows how common the overlap is, including in ADHD, autism and PTSD. The treatment evidence is thinner than you might hope.
Candida in 46% of Autistic Children: The Number Is Real. The Story Around It Is Not
A viral post cites a real meta-analysis finding Candida albicans in 46.1% of children with autism. The figure checks out. What the post leaves out, one study doing all the work, a newer study that found no difference, and the diets this claim is used to sell, changes what it means.
Blocking One Gene Restored Brain Signalling Linked to Autism, in Mice. Here Is What That Actually Means
A 2026 study in Nature Communications silenced a single gene, SLC6A20, and restored a broken signalling system in the brains of adult mice carrying autism-linked mutations. Some behaviours improved. Others did not. Here is the real study behind the viral clip, and how far it is from a human treatment.
When Do Autism and Schizophrenia Begin? A Study of 1,000 Brains Points to the Months Before Birth
A University of Exeter team mapped the chemical switches on DNA in nearly 1,000 human brains, from six weeks after conception to 108 years. Most of the change happens before birth, and the genes linked to autism and schizophrenia are right in the middle of it. What that means, and what it does not.
Two Kinds of Smart: Why Autism and ADHD Have Opposite Genetic Links With Knowledge and Reasoning
A 2026 study in Nature Communications split intelligence into reasoning, knowledge and speed, then compared their genetics with autism, ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The links go in different directions. A single IQ number hides all of it.
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