Autism disinformation on Telegram soars in Latin America and Caribbean
In the last five years, the volume of disinformation about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown by more than 15 thousand percent in the Latin American and Caribbean group chats on the instant messaging app Telegram. It was even more intense in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it soared by 635 percent.
The data can be found in the study Desinformação sobre Autismo na América Latina e no Caribe (“Disinformation about Autism in Latin America and the Caribbean”), by the Getulio Vargas Foundation and Brazilian autism association Autistas Brasil.
The research looked at more than 58 million pieces of content published from 2015 to 2025 in 1,659 autism conspiracy groups across 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Over 5 million users were members of such communities, which are often managed by anti-vaxxers, climate denialists, and flat earthers, the study points out.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a milestone 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 had previously been restricted to anti-vaccine issues began to incorporate autism as a new front for moral panic. What began as disinformation during the pandemic gained traction as a continuous flow of dangerous theories,” Ergon Cugler, autistic, coordinator of the study, and FGV researcher told Agência Brasil.
According to the study, nearly 47,300 messages published in these groups contained inaccurate or misleading information about autism. Brazil accounted for nearly half of all this conspiratorial content about autism circulating on Telegram during this time span.
“Brazilian conspiracy theory communities account for 46 percent of the content about autism in the continent, totaling 22,007 publications, potentially reaching up to 1,726,364 users, and adding up to exactly 13,944,477 views,” the text reads.
Spurious causes, bogus cures
In these Telegram group chats, the researchers found more than 150 incorrect or untrue ASD causes: radiation from 5G networks, vaccines, reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field, consumption of Doritos, and even chemtrails.
Also found were 150 fake cures for autism—some advocating the use of ineffective, even dangerous products with potentially irreversible damage. These so-called miracle solutions, the study says, are sold mainly by influencers and groups that emotionally and financially exploit caregivers by turning deceit into profit.
Exploiting faith
“People’s faiths are also manipulated with promised spiritual healing and attempts to discourage medical treatment, reinforcing the guilt of parents and caregivers. These theories about autism are not isolated; they come in combination with anti-vaccine discourse, ‘the new world order,’ scientific denialism, and anti-institutional ideology. The study shows how these networks are organized, create meaning, fuel distrust, and capitalize on collective anguish,” said Guilherme de Almeida, autistic, co-author of the study, and president of Autistas Brasil.
Modus operandi
The individuals behind these Telegram communities avail themselves of a vast arsenal of strategies to spread disinformation, Cugler added.
“First, they act as reinforcement bubbles, i.e. 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 the guise of credibility. Finally, many of these group chats work with typical digital marketing strategies. They build fear-mongering narratives followed by the offer of miracle solutions, selling products such as chlorine dioxide, alternative therapies, and even bowel de-worming courses. In many cases, the same profile spreading disinformation also profits from the sale of such solutions,” he noted.
“These are not isolated cases,” he added. “We are dealing with a complex interplay between economics, 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 tackle the issue, the specialists argued, not only public policies aimed at autism are needed, but also information. Cugler also believes that those who are profiting from spurious content should be held criminally responsible, and that social media platforms should take a more responsible stance, limiting the circulation of material that is 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 can involve other issues such as repetitive behavior, restricted interests, problems dealing with excessive sensory stimuli (loud sounds, 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 stresses that this figure represents an estimate, and that research has shown significantly higher numbers. Autistas Brasil calculates that around 5.6 million people have been diagnosed as autistic in Brazil.
