Relax, Tylenol Doesn’t Cause Autism
President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. make announcements on autism in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Monday, Sept. 22 in Washington, D.C. (PC: Francis Chung/Pool/Abaca Press/TNS)
My mother took Tylenol during the 8th month of her pregnancy because she had the flu. My father has traits of autism and ADHD, and though undiagnosed, he thinks he has both conditions.
I also have a long family history of autism and ADHD, and many of my cousins are diagnosed. So the million-dollar question is what caused my autism and ADHD: my DNA, or Tylenol?
According to the Trump administration, Tylenol is the culprit, and my mother is to blame. On Sept. 22, the administration announced that “there is mounting evidence finding a connection between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism.”
On the official White House website, this is listed as a fact. They also referenced two studies that prove their point.
The first study referenced “Nurses Health Study II”, published in 2019. Researchers claimed acetaminophen use during pregnancy raised the risk of autism and ADHD. In the second study, “Boston Cohorts Study”, researchers tested blood from the umbilical cord to measure acetaminophen levels at birth. When they followed up 10 years later, they found that children with higher acetaminophen levels were more likely to have autism and ADHD.
Both of these studies ignore a crucial factor: genetics. Neither study examined the subjects’ family history. There is growing evidence that autism is caused by not one, but many gene variations.
The Trump administration is using these two studies to spread harmful misinformation about autism, and blaming mothers for taking Tylenol during pregnancy. Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, isn’t even a doctor.
But what about children diagnosed with autism or ADHD who have no family history of those disorders? It is widely known that autism and ADHD are chronically undiagnosed, especially in women or in anyone who doesn’t display traditional symptoms. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 18 years old and autism at 20, and that’s considered early.
Knowing that autism and ADHD are genetic disorders disputes all claims acetaminophen usage during pregnancy causes them. Tylenol cannot physically change a fetus’s DNA.
The Trump Administration has put much emphasis on eradicating autism or trying to cure it. RFK strongly advocates for the belief that vaccines cause autism, though numerous studies in support were disproved years ago. The administration also claims that the drug leucovorin cures autism, despite lacking any proof.
Most recently, they stated that circumcision causes autism. They hide behind a facade of wanting to help autistic children and their families, but their actions prove otherwise. Trump recently cut funding for special education programs in schools.
RFK has also spread harmful rhetoric about autistic people, claiming that autistic people “will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go on a date.” This is a gross misrepresentation of autistic people.
I fall into the category of level 1 autism, which means that I have low support needs. I can drive myself to school, I’ve worked, and I’ve done extracurricular activities. I still struggle with sensory issues, social cues, and intense burnout, but I am able to maintain a level of independence.
However, autism is a wide spectrum. Some people need a lot more support in their day to day lives. Some autistic individuals also have learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities. That doesn’t diminish their worth, and it certainly doesn’t mean they can’t have likes, dislikes, hobbies, and passions. People like RFK see them as subhuman.
If you are pregnant, whether you take Tylenol or not is a personal decision. If this issue concerns you, I encourage you to do your own research and check the credibility of your sources.
Doctors still don’t have all the answers on autism, but all signs point to genetics. Attributing Tylenol to the rise in autism seems like a way to blame women. Rather than obsessing over the cause of autism and trying to eradicate it, our time would be better spent trying to help autistic individuals and promoting autism acceptance.
