Tyler Black, MD Profile picture
Dec 31, 2021 12 tweets 5 min read Read on X
The editorial process at @FrontiersIn makes a blunder. A study looking at "Developmental delays in children born during the pandemic" claims that fine motor delay and communication delay were seen comparing 2015-2019 & 2020.

This is very misleading. I see this mistake a lot.

/1
In fact, it is true that comparing 2020 to 2015-19 shows high anomalies in these two delays. But, if i compare 2016 to (2015, 2017-20) I would get the SAME significance testing. 2016 is worse than 2020 for fine motor and on par for communication.

/2
This is a case of a fallacy "cherry-picking."

The authors compared 2015-19 to 2020 but NOT:

2015 to 2016-20
2016 to 2015,2017-20
2017 to 2015-16, 2018-20
2018 to 2015-17, 2019-20
2019 to 2015-2018, 2020

And intentionally so, due to the cherrypicked "pandemic" situation.

/3
Had they done proper statistical tests, it would be completely obvious that 2016 and 2020 had similar rates of both delays.

Instead, cherry picking + selection bias leads to an erroneous association.

/4
The authors suggest they *controlled* this by pooling 2015-2019, but in fact they committed another fallacy!!

This is called statistical underfitting. The average is simply an inappropriate comparator.
You can clearly see the underfit here. By averaging 2015-2019, they created an average line that is supposed to represent all years "on average". But it's clearly underfit, and 2016 sticks out like a middle finger to statistical decency!

/5
Fortunately, the careful critical reader can see just how variable these numbers are, in the **FIRST FIGURE**. The peer reviewers failed the editorial process by not pointing out how this figure elevates a "possible limitation" to a "statistical failure."

Noisy numbers!

/6
The communication number is even more shaky.

While the issue isn't underfit of the average, the main issue is that 2020 would NOT be significantly different when compared to: 2016-2019, 2015-2018, 2018-2019, or ANY combination that *excluded* 2017, which seems low.

/7
In fact, very obviously, the KEY to 2020 being "statistically increased" is not 2020's elevation, but rather 2017's small stature. A simple eyeball test shows this, and yet the reviewers missed it.

/8
If we look at other measures of delay that didn't test significantly, we can see how fluctuations played such an important role.

Sorry for the scratchy comments, but it's late when I'm composing this and its irritating how obvious this is.
This type of error is *critical* during a pandemic, and undoubtedly adds fuel to the type of misattributed "cause" that drives so much covid-denialism activism.

It's not challenging statistics either, and this is what peer review is supposed to correct.

/fin
the paper in question, which *should* have concluded, if either of the two reviewers considered the obvious statistical issue, that "delay rates were within normal year-to-year fluctuation."

frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…

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More from @tylerblack32

Nov 7
🧵Battling Antivax Disinfo🧵
Vaccination did NOT increase cancer deaths.

Here I took the 6 deadliest cancers (all 5 survival rates under 50%) in a highly vaccinated population (25-54), and we can see ZERO evidence of vaccine-related cancer deaths, all the way to May 2024.

/1Image
If i move ages to 55+, we see the same thing, and we are now looking at a lot of deaths from these extremely aggressive cancers, so this isn't some underpowered stuff here. There is NO evidence that deadly cancers have increased due to vaccination.

None.

/2Image
If we take all ages 5+ and look for until May 2024, we see no increase in these highly aggressive cancer deaths, or any cancer deaths.

/3Image
Read 8 tweets
Nov 7
The Presidential Election
Data Geekery with my interpretations

1) The Country Shifted, but More Didn't.

The final share will be ~ +1.3 to +1.5% for Trump, which is a shift of ~+5.8%.

If America was a room with 65 people in it, only 2 out of the 65 people switched shirts.

/1Image
Note: this math might seem like it doesn't work, but we have to remember to include those that voted 3rd party (1.5%ish) and those that didn't vote (about 35%).

Excluding non-voters who were eligible,
2020: 22/43 D & 20/43 R
2024: 20/42 D & 21/42 R

/2Image
In other words, the great majority of the country didn't switch, but we know there was definitely a nudge towards republican vote.

What does this mean?
The narratives about "America changing" should be very cautious, as 93% of America did not change.

/3
Read 11 tweets
Sep 3
🚨COVID-19 Vaccination saves lives and improves outcomes 🚨

In this UK study of >3 MILLION PEOPLE who vaccinated, the incidence of mental health problems was significantly reduced when a subsequent COVID-19 infection occurred.

/1Image
Looking at the totals who were infected with COVID-19, it is clear that COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with a ROBUST increase in mental health problems after the diagnosis.

/2 Image
This adds to the massive and still growing body of evidence that Covid 19 Vaccination was safe, effective, and extremely important especially considering that after this study, virtually everyone was infetcted with COVID-19.

/3
Read 5 tweets
Aug 29
Yet another study finding differential impacts (mostly with decrease of symptoms) on the mental health of youth comparing prepandemic to pandemic times.

The media far far far less likely to report on these now common findings.

/1


jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…
My colleagues and I talked about this at length, that there were many reasons to be cautious about the early "expert predictions" and in fact when good evidence was considered, many so-called evidence based scientists were wrong: dire outcomes on mental health harder to find.

/2


Our '23 peer-reviewed commentary here, g despite many professionals who attacked my us for daring to suggest we interpret evidence cautiously rather than childishly reducing issues & acting like sensationalists, I am certain our publciation holds up well.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Read 4 tweets
Aug 4
❌Mythbusting❌
Youth suicide & COVID

❌Myth:
responses to COVID "caused" 🔼youth suicides

✅Reality:
We now have 4 years of pandemic data showing that school-aged youth did NOT have an increase in suicides; in fact, rates decreased 18.3% from recent trends AND averages.

/1Image
This is true for girls in the US (pretty much right on the 3-year average (-0.8%), and 16.3% less than expected from the 10-year trend).

/2Image
This is true for boys in the US (10% less than the 3-year average and 18.9% less than expected from the ten-year trend)

/3Image
Read 22 tweets
Jan 31
Talking to kids when they're struggling🧵
For parents (or anyone who cares for kids!)

It can be really scary to notice something in your kid & be worried suicidality/self-harm.

How do you approach kids?

I've had this conversation >10000 times so I have some tips!

Be CALM

/1Image
CALM is a memory-trick to remember the key concepts of communicating to a struggling kid but also to remind you to be in control of your own emotions. If you are prepared, you will defeat your initial instinct, which will be to FREAK THE BLEEP OUT!

/2Image
First, COOPERATE!

You & your kid are a team, and you have a common goal: their present & future wellbeing. Don't set yourself up as the security guard, jailor, punisher, or antagonist. Don't push. Don't pull. Be alongside them, tell them you're willing to walk with them.

/3Image
Read 17 tweets

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