Claims of a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism have been repeatedly disproven – despite what the US administration suggests I have treated more than 200,000 patients in almost 40 years of practising medicine. Autism is a complex disorder which can present in many different ways and in a spectrum of severity. Causation is a very important consideration and, as a paediatrician, I know that parents often ask why their child has autism. Particularly in the severe end of the autism spectrum, genetic disorders can present with autistic features; for example Angelman syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Williams syndrome and many others. However, for the majority of the children who are diagnosed with autism, no cause is found. We also know that the number of children diagnosed with autism in the developed world is increasing. There are many reasons for this, not least that we are better at diagnosing it. However, in my work I often heard the question “why is my child autistic?” Continue reading...