New Jersey experts react to autism claims from White House

NJ reacts to controversial autism claims by federal leaders
RFK Jr. and Trump link Tylenol to autism — experts push back
Acetaminophen safety reignites other drug warnings for prenatal care

With one of the nation’s highest rates of autism, New Jersey is digesting this week’s claims about what causes the neurodevelopmental condition.

“By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic,” Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April, on camera and shared by PBS Newshour.

“There will be no bigger news conference than that,” President Donald Trump responded, sitting alongside his cabinet members.

Trump, RFK Jr. suggest Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism

On Monday, both men were joined at the White House by Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Trump said they believe autism is caused by a pregnant person’s use of acetaminophen, mentioning the drug multiple times by the brand name Tylenol.

Autism New Jersey urges families to rely on vetted research

Advocacy and medical organizations responded by saying that multiple rigorous studies have not shown such a connection between prenatal acetaminophen use and the cause of autism.

Autism New Jersey, which runs the help line 800-4-AUTISM, said there is a constant volume of calls from “people trying to understand and make the most informed decisions about what is right for their child,” Autism New Jersey Executive Director Suzanne Buchanan said Tuesday.

Factors in autism diagnoses have been increasing since 2000

As of this year, there are 242,000 individuals living with autism in New Jersey.

Of that population, about 64,000 have “profound autism,” meaning they need constant care to be safe and who have trouble communicating basic wants and needs, Buchanan said.

New Jersey’s rate of autism prevalence is 1 in 29 children, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics in April.

Federal officials on Monday said that said autism has “surged since 2000.” During that same time period, at least two major changes have impacted the screening process for autism.

“Twenty-five years ago, when I started in the field, it was more limited to autism and those with intellectual disability,” Buchanan said. “And now, 60% of individuals who qualify for a diagnosis do not have an intellectual disability, so the expanded diagnostic criteria is certainly a reason.”

In 2013, Autism spectrum disorder was adopted by health professionals as the broader diagnosis for multiple related categories, including Asperger's Syndrome.

New treatment and medication claims raise further questions

Another part of Monday’s federal autism announcement was a potential treatment for some symptoms of autism.

The Food and Drug Administration has updated acceptable uses of leucovorin, a medication that has been used by some cancer patients.

It is now cleared for “cerebral folate deficiency, which has been associated with autism,” according to a federal news release on Monday.

“There is a long history of interventions being suggested or claims being made that something can treat the symptoms of autism,” Buchanan said to New Jersey 101.5.

“Autism NJ takes it very seriously and partners with parents every step of the way — to best understand their child, work with their medical professionals and help them understand the state of the science, as well as the potential benefits, the potential risks, the potential side effects,” she continued.

Buchanan said the idea is to avoid a “prescribe-and-hope type of situation.”

Read More: Autism NJ offers free webinars to explain recent autism research 

As for what research indicates causes autism, scientists have identified more than 200 genes that are associated with autism.

Causes of autism would be one of two keynote speeches at the Autism New Jersey annual conference, Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 in Atlantic City.

Tylenol safety and fever risks in pregnancy: What experts say

As part of the reaction to Monday’s announcements was attention to the fact that high fevers pose a danger in pregnancy.

Having a critical fever has been linked to birth defects of the brain, spine and spinal cord in babies, according to the March of Dimes, in a health update during Trump’s first term in office.

Acetaminophen is widely used for reducing fever and pain and has long been deemed the safest such medication in pregnancy.

In 2020, the FDA issued a warning that using pain-relieving and fever-reducing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) around 20 weeks or later in pregnancy may cause kidney problems in the fetus.

The warning was “not new information,” a Texas health care provider said in sharing the update.

The Autism Science Foundation published a podcast ahead of the administration’s official announcement, saying that “this is one of many environmental exposures that had previously been investigated in association with an autism diagnosis, but then disproven following rigorous and large scale studies with the right design."

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom