Kanıta dayalı, hak temelli otizm medyasıHere is the autism news this week in brief: Turkish autism groups call abuse in care centres systemic, Australia starts its Thriving Kids programme, two studies at a US paediatrics conference track acetaminophen-autism misinformation online, and a new mouse study looks for common patterns behind many autism-linked genes.
Key takeaways
- The Turkey Autism Council and the Autism Confederation say neglect and violence in Turkish disability care centres are systemic and call for independent monitoring.
- Australia’s Thriving Kids programme for children under nine with autism or developmental delay began its first phase on 1 October 2026.
- A conference study found TikTok videos with acetaminophen-autism misinformation drew over half of all views in its sample.
- A separate audit found only 14 of 65 US health organisations addressed the acetaminophen-autism claims on Instagram.
Turkey: autism groups say care-centre abuse is “systemic”
The Turkey Autism Council (Türkiye Otizm Meclisi) and the Autism Confederation say neglect and violence in disability care centres are not isolated cases, after a court case over a private centre in Konya where three disabled adults were locked in a room. They want independent monitoring and a move to community-based independent living. Source: bianet, İlkses.
We cover the case in more depth in today’s news story.
Australia: Thriving Kids begins, with questions unanswered
Australia’s A$4 billion Thriving Kids programme, an alternative to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for children under nine with “low to moderate” support needs, started on 1 October with a helpline and an online hub. NDIS eligibility will not change until January 2028, but disability advocates say it is still unclear how “low to moderate” needs will be defined. Source: ABC News.
How did acetaminophen-autism misinformation spread on TikTok?
Researchers from Rutgers analysed 53 TikTok videos about acetaminophen (paracetamol) and autism posted after the September 2025 White House announcement. Misinformation made up 28.3% of the videos but drew 52.4% of 28 million views; health professionals’ videos were all evidence-based. This was presented as an abstract at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference on 3 October 2026, not a full peer-reviewed paper. Source: Contemporary Pediatrics.
Did health institutions push back on Instagram?
A second Rutgers audit of 65 children’s hospitals, medical societies and state health departments found only 14 (21.5%) posted about the acetaminophen-autism claims on Instagram, none in more than one language. Posts were written at about an 11th-grade reading level, above the recommended 8th-grade level. Source: Contemporary Pediatrics.
Do different autism-linked genes lead to similar brain patterns?
A study in Science, reported by The Transmitter on 1 October, compared 17 mouse lines with different autism-linked gene variants and found prefrontal gene activity fell into two opposite patterns. The pattern was weaker in 40 autistic human brain samples and did not hold in every brain region, so the findings are early and based mostly on mice. Source: The Transmitter.
Work: what autistic project managers bring
Autism Spectrum News closed a three-part series on 2 October about autistic professionals in project management and what employers gain when they adjust workplaces instead of asking autistic staff to mask. Source: Autism Spectrum News.
For more, see our autism news archive, rights and policy coverage and research explainers.
Kaynaklar
- bianet (30 September 2026, Turkish)
- İlkses (3 October 2026, Turkish)
- ABC News: Thriving Kids begins (1 October 2026)
- Contemporary Pediatrics: TikTok misinformation study (3 October 2026)
- Contemporary Pediatrics: Instagram audit (3 October 2026)
- The Transmitter: autism-linked variants converge on two molecular patterns (1 October 2026)
- Autism Spectrum News: Wired to Deliver, Part 3 (2 October 2026)
This post was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by the OtizmTV editorial team.