Rosie O’Donnell created a firestorm Monday on Twitter, and to no surprise, it was geared toward Donald Trump. But her tweet was specifically concerned with Trump’s youngest son, 10-year-old Barron Trump.

The tweet reads: “Barron Trump Autistic? if so – what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic.”

O’Donnell followed her words with a link to a video containing evidence of Barron’s probable condition. People, especially Trump’s fans, were reasonably upset by her statement.

“Autistic or not, the kid is not deserving of any of the bullshit that’s being said about him. America has become a fiasco,” one fan wrote.

Whether he is autistic or not, just the fact that a 10-year-old boy is receiving so much media attention is distressing.

O’Donnell responded to the backlash by noting that “something felt familiar” about Barron’s behavior and claims that she wasn’t shaming autism. But she was unsuccessful in concealing her agenda.

The truth is, there has been talk about Barron’s supposed condition since the first time he appeared on stage with his father. People noted that he is awkward, walks funny and seems to lack social understanding. But it was never a topic of discussion in the media; most people would agree that children are off limits when it comes to defamation.

O’Donnell’s tweet may be disguised as genuine concern for Barron or excitement over the potential for increased awareness of Autism, but it shouldn’t fool anyone given her strong hatred toward Trump. Instead, it feels accusatory, as if Barron’s potential condition is the ultimate comeback for Trump’s hateful comments about O’Donnell.

She gave her prominent voice to what some people were thinking, but O’Donnell failed to recognize the weight of her platform. Her celebrity status not only brought unwanted attention to the issue, but her long, ongoing feud with Trump angled Barron’s condition as his weak spot.

Aside from whether or not exposing a child on Twitter was appropriate, the main debate is if it even matters whether Barron is autistic. Given that his father will now have influence over legislation regarding education, mental health and healthcare, perhaps it does mean something if his own child has special needs.

But O’Donnell has contributed to the stigma surrounding autism by publicly outing the child as a way to get back at his father.

It certainly should not seem detrimental if Trump’s son is autistic, but the attention he has gotten speaks to people’s discomfort with mental health disorders. O’Donnell used Barron as ammunition against his father, which furthers the notion that autism is a burden or an inconvenience.

According to Autism Speaks, about one in 45 children has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Although children with autism spectrum disorder can be deficient when it comes to social interactions, communication and behavior, they tend to excel in areas such as technology or math.

Some schools lack the resources to provide for autistic children or don’t properly understand their conditions, which can be traced back to a lack of educational funding. Many schools also don’t provide sufficiently safe environments for autistic kids. According to a study by the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University, 63 percent of students with autism are bullied.

With Trump in office, he could certainly make changes to this system, especially if he has his child’s interests in mind. But if O’Donnell was truly concerned with change, she would be more careful, given her status relative to Trump.

O’Donnell perfectly demonstrated the stigma that surrounds autism by pitying Barron and his parents because of his possible condition. It is true that mental health needs more awareness and reform, but exposing a child on social media is not the way to go about it.

Isabella is a sophomore in ACES.

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