In the last five years, the volume of disinformation about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown more than 15,000 percent in Latin American and Caribbean chat groups on the instant messaging app Telegram. It was even more intense in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it surged 635 percent.
The data can be found in the study Disinformation about Autism in Latin America and the Caribbean, from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and the Brazilian autism association Autistas Brasil.
The research analyzed more than 58 million contents published from 2015 to 2025 in 1,659 conspiracy groups about autism in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 5 million users were members of these communities, which are often managed by antivaxxers, climate deniers, and flat-Earthers, the study points out.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point in digital behavior and the circulation of disinformation. The health crisis generated fear, uncertainty, and an intense demand for explanations, often in environments of low institutional trust. Group chats that previously focused on antivax issues began to incorporate autism as a new front of moral panic. What started as disinformation during the pandemic gained traction as a continuous flow of dangerous theories,” said Ergon Cugler, an autistic individual, study coordinator, and FGV researcher, to Agência Brasil.
According to the study, nearly 47,300 messages published in these groups contained inaccurate or misleading information about autism. Brazil accounted for almost half of all this conspiracy content about autism circulating on Telegram during this period.
“Brazilian conspiracy theory communities represent 46 percent of the autism content on the continent, totaling 22,007 publications, potentially reaching up to 1,726,364 users, and totaling exactly 13,944,477 views,” the text states.
Spurious causes, false cures
In these Telegram group chats, researchers found more than 150 incorrect or false causes of ASD: 5G network radiation, vaccines, inversion of Earth’s magnetic field, Doritos consumption, and even chemtrails.
They also found 150 false cures for autism – some promoting the use of ineffective, even dangerous, products with potentially irreversible harm. These so-called miracle solutions, the study says, are mainly sold by influencers and groups that emotionally and financially exploit caregivers, turning deception into profit.
Exploiting faith
“People’s faiths are also manipulated with promises of spiritual cures and attempts to discourage medical treatment, reinforcing guilt among parents and caregivers. These theories about autism are not isolated; they come combined with antivax discourse, ‘new world order,’ scientific denialism, and anti-institutional ideology. The study shows how these networks organize, create meaning, fuel distrust, and capitalize on collective anguish,” said Guilherme de Almeida, an autistic individual, co-author of the study, and president of Autistas Brasil.
Modus operandi
The individuals behind these Telegram communities use a vast arsenal of strategies to spread disinformation, Cugler added.
“First, they act as echo chambers, that is, spaces where members share the same ideas, creating a sense of mutual validation. Second, they make heavy use of scientific language, employing jargon out of context to give theories an appearance of credibility. Finally, many of these group chats operate with typical digital marketing strategies. They build alarmist narratives followed by offers of miracle solutions, selling products like chlorine dioxide, alternative therapies, and even intestinal deworming courses. In many cases, the same profile that spreads disinformation also profits from selling these solutions,” he observed.
“These are not isolated cases,” he added. “We are dealing with a complex interaction between economy, politics, and culture. Disinformation plays a central role in this game. It paves the way for the intervention business and reinforces the rationale that autistic existence has no value unless it can be ‘improved’ or ‘cured.’”
Towards a solution
To address the problem, the experts argued, public policies focused on autism are not enough; information is also needed. Cugler also believes that those who profit from spurious content should be held criminally accountable, and that social media platforms should adopt a more responsible stance, limiting the circulation of material harmful to public health. Another vital aspect, he mentioned, is education, “to strengthen critical thinking.”
What is ASD?
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction, and may involve other issues such as repetitive behavior, restricted interests, problems dealing with excessive sensory stimuli (loud noises, strong smells, crowds), learning difficulties, and the adoption of highly specific routines.
According to data from the Pan American Health Organization, one in every 160 children worldwide has ASD, but the organization emphasizes that this figure is an estimate, and studies have shown significantly higher numbers. Autistas Brasil estimates that around 5.6 million people have been diagnosed as autistic in Brazil.
Source: Agência Brasil