On Monday, September 22nd, Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House, where he presented a link between acetaminophen and autism.
He then urged pregnant women not to take it under any circumstances.
Acetaminophen (a-SEET-a MIN-oh-fen), commonly known as Tylenol, is the most common pain relief and fever-reducing medicine for pregnant women.
The first time autism was identified and diagnosed was in 1943. The distribution of Tylenol was not until 1955.
So why is this even a question? Even if Tylenol were a cause of autism, it would not be the primary cause, as autistic behaviors have been around before the creation of Tylenol.
Many scientists are confused by Trump’s statement about autism. The Director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence, or CARE, Helen Tager-Flusberg, agrees that Tylenol is not the cause of autism; it’s genetics.
Tager-Flusberg believes that this statement will only cause confusion for doctors and expectant mothers.
Doctors advise pregnant women to stay away from ibuprofen due to a higher chance of miscarriage if taken. But pregnant women leaving their fevers unmedicated is extremely dangerous, as it hurts the development of the child. By ignoring this fever, there is a higher chance of their child being born with birth defects.
Tylenol is the safest medicine for pregnant women to take and is the most recommended by doctors. Since Tylenol is the most used pain reliever for pregnant women, it’s inevitable that some kids whose parents took Tylenol while they were pregnant will be autistic, but it does not mean that it is a direct cause.
At this press conference, the Trump administration revealed a drug that can “treat” autism: leucovorin. Leucovorin is typically used alongside cancer treatments. It is important to note that Cerebral Folate Deficiency (CFD) has similar symptoms to autism, and leucovorin is the most common medication used to treat it.
Although leucovorin was proposed as a drug treatment for children with autism at this conference, there was no mention of replacement medicine suggested for pregnant women to take when they are in pain. This leaves women in pain, with a chance of giving birth to a child with serious birth defects rather than with autism.
Since this press conference, there have been many questions in the air. Is this just another way for men to control women’s bodies? Is this a distraction from other current events? Where is the scientific evidence that proves that Tylenol is a direct cause of autism?
The truth is, there is no current scientific evidence that proves that Tylenol causes autism. If there were, then this claim would not even be a question; it would be a declaration. Autism is caused by genetics and environment, which is proven by scientific evidence, unlike Trump’s claim that linked it to Tylenol.
The reason more people are getting diagnosed with autism is because there are more resources to diagnose autism than there were before. With more mental health services than ever, it is common sense that more people will be diagnosed with mental and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Over the past few years, more people have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and autism. This does not mean that more people are autistic; it just means that more people are being officially diagnosed.
Trump is not a medical professional, and this claim puts the blame of autism on mothers for trying to ease their pain during pregnancy. Politicians are not qualified to make medical claims, especially if they are not properly backed by evidence.
Certain kinds of therapy, however, have been proven to help autism. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is a resource that allows children with autism to improve social, academic, and life skills.
ABA is proven to improve the lives of autistic children, whereas leucovorin is not. There are no side effects that come with ABA therapy, unlike with leucovorin. There is not enough research done to prove that leucovorin even helps children with autism, and there is no proof that Tylenol is a cause of autism.
Before making a choice to suffer through pregnancy symptoms unmedicated or to give your child a medicine that may not even help, more research needs to be conducted. Until then, there is no action that needs to be taken against Tylenol or towards leucovorin. We should all remember to conduct our own research instead of blindly believing a claim we see on the news.
