Angie Voyles Askham
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avaskham.bsky.social
Angie Voyles Askham
@avaskham.bsky.social
880 followers 730 following 99 posts
senior reporter at The Transmitter, where I write about neuroscience research / neuroscience PhD / mother of three

Email: angie at thetransmitter dot org
Signal: avaskham.54
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Also in @thetransmitter.bsky.social today: “Kennedy’s environmental exposures theory is shockingly naive because it ignores decades of study findings.” - Lynn Waterhouse

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/cdc...
Kennedy's proposed research is unlikely to find that ultrasound scans or food additives increase the likelihood of autism, as research has found no associations between autism and these exposures. In fact, environmental exposures account for less than 20 percent of autism cases; about 80 percent of cases are linked to genetic factors, as innumerable studies have proven. Furthermore, assigning likelihood is not simple. Some environmental exposures will result in autism only for people with specific genetic vulnerabilities. Kennedy's plan is also missing other potential environmental contributions to autism's apparent rise. He has not discussed exploring maternal health, even though pregnant women's health conditions can increase the likelihood that a child has autism. For example, children of women who take the drug valproate for epilepsy during pregnancy have a 4.42 percent higher likelihood of autism, and children of women with untreated infections or diabetes during pregnancy also have higher chances of having autism.
May 1, 2025 at 12:41 PM