Neurodivergent News - March 2025

Grab yourself drink of choice and sit back for a wild ride. This month was a big one for Autism and ADHD. I’ve included a ton of links that I think might be of interest that I just simply couldn’t include in this write-up.

Next month is Autism Acceptance Month, also called Autism Awareness Month, so be prepared for a whole lot of autism related news.

I hope you’re doing as well as can be given the circumstances of the world right now.

Autism

Toni Braxton Claims Her Son’s Autism Has Been Cured

10 years after announcing that her son is Autistic, Grammy award winning musician Toni Braxton claims that her son’s autism has been cured thanks to the recommendations of programs and tips from the co-founder of Autism Speaks, Suzanne Wright.

However, there is no cure for autism and what has likely happened is that her son has been given the tools to deal with the sensory issues he may face in life. He may have also received ABA therapy, which is effectively conversion therapy for autism and is considered by many to be a form of torture.

We may never know the truth of Toni Braxton’s son’s life, but no, his autism was not cured, despite what popular media may say.

https://www.essence.com/toni-braxton-son-diezel-autism-symptoms/

Baby Food Autism Lawsuit Gives Update

Right now there is a lawsuit that alleges heavy metals found in many brands of baby food may have been the cause of autism in many children over the years. This lawsuit has actually been going on for years and somehow managed to slide in under my radar.

The most recent update doesn’t look good for the baby food companies who are trying to block the use of a short form for victims to use to join the case. A hearing will decide if a short form will be allowed on March 27th. Until then, you might be interested in checking out the website for the lawsuit which has had many updates since it started in 2022 and includes a current list of baby foods that contain heavy metals.

https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/baby-food-autism-lawsuit.html

I Wrote an eBook!

Woman Told She Faces 18 Year Wait for Autism Diagnosis

A woman attending Oxford University was told that she would have to wait until 2043 to get an autism diagnosis after facing years of difficulties because she grew up in the foster care system and part of getting a diagnosis requires childhood evidence, including letters from her parents. But, as someone who grew up in the foster system and has no contact with her biological family she has no one she could get these letters from. Eventually she got an email telling her that she would have to wait 18 years for a diagnosis because of the massive increase in the demand for testing and the lack of a budget increase to match those needs.

This is yet another example of the systematic failure there is for autistic people across the world.

THIS is why I advocate so strongly for self-diagnosis. What is she supposed to do, wait nearly 2 decades for someone to tell her what she probably has already come to terms with? Why? Why would she put herself through that when there are accommodations she can start making in her life now to make things easier on herself. At the very least she should be able to take this email to future employers and show them that she needs accommodations and why she doesn’t have a formal diagnosis yet.

https://www.bigissue.com/life/health/autism-assessment-waiting-list-diagnosis-health/

Non-verbal Autistic Singer Shines in Song with Irish Duo Foster & Allen

Autistic Boy Told He Would Have to Wait 10 Years for Vital Dental Procedure

Another story of how the medical system is failing autistic people has come out, this time in Ireland where a 6 year old boy was told he would have to wait 10 years to have 3 teeth removed.

Thankfully, after this story caught media attention it caught the eyes of the Irish government who called it absolutely unacceptable. Shortly after the boy’s parents were told that he had been given an appointment at Cork University Hospital, so they won’t have to wait much longer after all.

While this story does have a happy ending, it shouldn’t take going to the media to get proper medical care.

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2025/0227/1499259-waterford/

CDC to Study Vaccines and Autism

As has been anticipated since Trump was on the campaign trail, it appears that the CDC will now begin looking at Autism, and if it is caused by vaccines. This coming despite mountains of evidence and repeated study after study that have already shown that vaccines don’t cause Autism.

It also comes at a time when the United States is battling one of the worst measles outbreaks in decades, because of the decline widespread vaccination of children.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-plans-study-into-vaccines-autism-sources-say-2025-03-07/

Link Between Motherhood Illness and Autism May Be Overstated

A new study has found that previous studies may have been wrong about the link between pregnant mothers getting ill and their children being autistic. The study took into account diagnoses that the mothers got up to 3 years before they became pregnant, as well as those during their pregnancy. They found that only 1 diagnosis was strongly associated with Autism, pregnancy complications related to the fetus.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03479-5

An Autistic Woman in the UK was Locked in Mental Hospital for 45 Years

At just 7 years old, a non-verbal Autistic woman with a learning disability and no family to speak of was locked away in a mental hospital for 45 years, including 25 years of segregation. She was sometimes locked up for 23 hours a day.

Her records showed that she was described as “dangerous” and an “eye-gouger” after a single incident when she was 19 when a fire alarm was going off and the ward she was in had to be evacuated. The reality was that she was in distress and another patient approached her. She scratched the patient, and caused a cut on the patient’s eye.

It took a rookie clinical psychologist named Dr. Patsie Staite to help get her free. She was carrying out a routine review of the Autistic woman’s care and realized that she didn’t belong there, and the way she was described in her file wasn’t reality. Dr. Staite then set off on a 9 year journey to get the woman freed.

It’s a fantastic story for this woman who had her life and freedom stolen from her, but there are still thousands in the UK just like her who are wrongly put in mental hospitals with their cases never reviewed again.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly43png991o

Are Western Diets To Blame for Rise in Neurodivergence?

A study from Denmark has shown that the modern Western diet, high in fat and sugar while being low in fish and vegetables may contribute to the rise in “neurodevelopmental disorders” like Autism and ADHD. The study found a 66% increased risk of ADHD and a 122% risk of Autism when adhering to a typical Western diet. The study also found that even small changes away from the Western diet made a difference in the risk.

While we’ve known for some time that the typical Western diet is unhealthy for people of all ages, it does make you wonder if new guidelines need to be drawn up for pregnant mothers. Or better yet, maybe we should all be moving away from the typical Western diet to one with less processing, less fat, and less sugar.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01230-z

ADHD

ADHD Medication Shortage May Continue Until 2026

According to a story from The Nightly, a news organization based in Australia, the ADHD medication shortage looks like it is going to continue until 2026. The shortage which is impacting the entire world at this point has been going on for several years with promises from the pharmaceutical companies every few months that it will all be over soon, or at least pushing the date down the road another year.

The claim is that the manufacturers can’t keep up with the demand for these medications and that it is a temporary situation. But this temporary situation has been going on for years now and the demand for the medications is only going up.

https://thenightly.com.au/society/health/methylphenidate-shortage-major-adhd-drugs-concerta-teva-to-last-until-2026-c-17868042

ADHD Medication Use Triples in Finland

A wonderful continuation of the story from Australia takes us across the world to Finland where the Social Insurance Institution (Kela) has revealed data that shows ADHD medication use as tripled in the span of 5 years.

In 2024 more than 115,000 people received reimbursement for ADHD medication, to the tune of €27 million. This is a 20% increase from 2023. In Finland, medication is considered part of the healthcare service and thus medicines are paid for in a very unique system.

Based on my research, (and please, do correct me in the comments if I get any of this wrong) medicines that are administered by doctors and hospitals are free. Any prescriptions you have to take have a €70 initial deductible per year. What this means is that no matter what prescriptions you have you will pay €70 to hit the threshold. Once you’ve hit that €70 threshold any further medication you get can be reimbursed at a rate of 60%, 65%, or 100% depending on your medical condition and the medications being prescribed. There’s another threshold at €633.17 where once you breach that threshold each medication will only cost you €2.50. No matter what kind of medication it is.

https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/26208-adhd-medication-use-triples-in-finland.html
https://www.kela.fi/medicine-expenses

Researchers are Developing Guidelines for ADHD in Adults for the First Time in the US

It used to be believed that ADHD was a childhood disease, and when I say used to I mean as recently as the 1990s. Now that they realize that in the majority of cases ADHD persists into adulthood, guidelines need to be developed for professionals, especially those in the medical field who will interact with ADHD clients.

The American Professional Society for ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) is on the case! They’ve compiled a team of 30 experts to create guidelines for how to diagnose ADHD in adults, as well as treat them.

With these guidelines it will make diagnosing and treating adults with ADHD much more streamlined. Which hopefully means better results for those who suspect they have ADHD. But, don’t get too excited yet. It’s not like every doctor will get sent these guidelines when they’re released. It can take decades for this information to become widely used. There are still people today, in 2025 getting diagnosed with ADD even though it was removed from the DSM, (the book of mental conditions that is used by every doctor in the US) in 1987!

https://now.tufts.edu/2025/02/24/how-tufts-helping-develop-first-us-guidelines-adhd-adults

Research in Taiwan Shows that Rice-based baby food linked to lower ADHD Risk

There is some really interesting research from Taiwan around babies that has shown those who are given a rice-based baby food rather than a wheat based baby foods. The babies were breastfed for approximately 59 days before being switched to baby foods. Those who were fed riced-based baby food were less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD when they got older. The study also identified other risk factors like being born male, having a low birth weight, and being born in a low income family.

I personally would have liked to see continued breastfeeding included in this study but it seems that the trend of breastfeeding your children even to the recommended 6 month mark, just isn’t the done thing for most in Taiwan. Perhaps another study in the future will be able to include it.

https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.14100

One in Five Drug and Alcohol Users Have ADHD Symptoms

New research from Trinity College in Ireland has found that one in five drug and alcohol users around the world have ADHD symptoms. The team looked at research from 32 different countries, collected between 1997 and 2024.

The number is even higher for those specifically on benzodiazepines, finding at that over one third (1/3) of users showed symptoms of ADHD.

The researchers also found that service providers for users aren’t trained to recognize neurodiversity, often times not even knowing that there is a link between ADHD and drug and alcohol abuse.

The team made some recommendations for Ireland to better improve patient care. Hopefully, this will become more widespread as they see success.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0227/1499245-adhd/ 

Further Reading/Listening Recommendations:

My family isn’t sick: Trump’s dangerous attack on neurodivergent Americans
Dear Mr. Kennedy The science is clear: ADHD is a genetic condition whose expression is muted or amplified by environmental factors.
Podcast: Why are more adults being diagnosed with ADHD?
How The Sims Helped Me Understand My ADHD
Podcast: The Surprising Association Between ADHD & Inflammation
Bachelor Star Kelsey Anderson Uses Sign Language to Manage Her ADHD
How a Certain Bathroom Habit Could Be Sign of ADHD
ADHD is a feminist issue: More women that ever are being diagnosed — what took so long?
11 Realistic Meditation Tips for People With ADHD

Well, that’s all for March! I know, it was a loooong one. With April being Autism Acceptance Month next month’s may prove to be even longer. If it starts looking that way I’ll look at sending one out mid month so keep an eye on your inbox, you may get two in April.