An Indiana mother with an autistic son has expressed concern over President Donald Trump’s baseless assertion that using Tylenol during pregnancy results in autism. She perceives this claim as pointing fingers at mothers.
A Kentucky woman diagnosed with the condition as an adult thought Trump was villainizing autism by describing it as a “horrible, horrible crisis.”
Conversely, a father from Massachusetts, whose twin sons have severe autism, viewed the President’s remarks as promising. For him, it was a significant moment to observe autism being addressed at the federal government’s highest level.
The recent remarks about autism by the President and his administration have sparked varied reactions across the United States within the autism community and their families. Some individuals appreciate the renewed attention and commitment to funding research into the intricacies of this developmental disorder. Meanwhile, others are incensed by what they see as blaming tactics and the promotion of scientifically unsupported claims.
On a recent Monday, Trump cautioned pregnant women against the use of Tylenol, which is chemically known as acetaminophen, while repeating debunked notions regarding autism and vaccinations. Although a few studies have suggested a potential link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism risk, numerous others have found no association, and no causative connection has been established.
Meanwhile, experts emphasize that any supposed vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly discredited. The journal that published a fraudulent study linking the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism later withdrew it. Most scientific evidence supports that autism primarily originates from genetic factors.
Pushback on blaming mothers, villaining autism
Dr. Noa Sterling, an OB-GYN, said Trump’s comments, particularly about Tylenol, touched a nerve for many parents of young autistic children.
“There is a narrative that urges extreme caution during pregnancy, implying that any minor mistake could cause irreversible harm to your baby,” she remarked. “The mention of Tylenol exacerbates this anxiety, making mothers fear they’ve inadvertently contributed to their child’s condition.”
Dani Derner, who has a 4-year-old autistic son, said it is “really disappointing” that women are being blamed.
“I personally did not take Tylenol during my pregnancy,” said Derner, of Dripping Springs, Texas. But, she said, “some women might not have a choice.”
Some women said the blaming was reminiscent of the disproven mid-20th century theory that emotionally cold “refrigerator mothers” caused autism.
“When I heard that he said acetaminophen was the cause, I was a little scared and a little sad because as a mom of a child with autism, I felt like maybe I was being blamed for that,” said Rachel Deaton of Fishers, Indiana, who has a 22-year-old autistic son. “We really don’t know what causes autism.”
Kelly Sue Milano of Fullerton, California, who has an autistic son, added: “A lot of responsibility and at times criticism is placed on mothers, I think, in a really unbalanced and unfair way.”
Some autistic people recoiled at the notion that autism is something to cure.
“It is part of who we are,” said Dani Bowman, CEO of DaniMation Entertainment and a cast member of “Love on the Spectrum.” “My mom never took Tylenol while she was pregnant with me or my sister. My dad has autism. My sister has autism. I have autism.”
Katy Thurman, a legal assistant in Lexington, Kentucky, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult, grew angry at the concept of eradicating autism.
“There are actual crises going on in this country. People being autistic is not one of them,” Thurman said.
Addressing profound autism
Others were encouraged by the attention on the developmental disorder.
“We need a voice at the table and we have to do something,” said Matt Murphy of Ayer, Massachusetts, who has twin 8-year-old boys with profound autism. “That’s the hopeful thing I take out of this -– finally, the top level of government is talking about this.”
He said people with profound autism will need lifetime support, and federal and state governments will need to take action in many areas, including education and housing. Murphy is glad to see federal money going toward research into autism’s causes.
“Even if you find the cause … we still have the current population that we need to support and address and help,” he said.
Deaton, who has an adult autistic son, agrees, but worries about federal cuts affecting things such as Medicaid and special education. Those help autistic people contribute to society, get jobs and be taxpayers, she said.
Judith Ursitti leads the Profound Autism Alliance and was among a group of people who met with the director of the National Institutes of Health in June. She said hearing the term “profound autism” in a White House event was validating and she was pleased with the list of research being funded.
But Ursitti, mother of a 22-year-old son with autism, realizes that people on other parts of the autism spectrum found some of the language hurtful and that others in her community were outraged because they believe moms were being blamed.
Ursitti also said some of the discussion was confusing, including the failure to tease out profound autism from other parts of the spectrum when mentioning the statistic that 1 in about 31 children is affected by autism spectrum disorder in the U.S.
“The vast majority of people with autism don’t fall into that profound category,” she said.
She said reactions to comments made at the White House were in some ways as diverse as the autism community itself.
“There’s a divide that’s quite similar to what we’re seeing in our country, honestly,” she said.
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Associated Press video journalists River Zhang and Nathan Ellgren in Washington and Obed Lamy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
