President Trump, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz held a press conference to discuss how they believe acetaminophen causes autism.

Written By Nichole Miner

On Monday September 23rd 2025 President Trump, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz held a press conference to discuss how they believe acetaminophen causes autism.

We will briefly go over a few of their points with further information, and links to more resources.

Starting with the most important part of the announcement; Trump begins by saying:

“Effective immediately, the F.D.A. will be notifying physicians that the use of …(he misspeaks several times) … acetaminophen -- which is basically commonly known as Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism. So, taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. It’s not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that limit Tylenol and all use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.” Link

There are three main points to address before we go any further:

  • Autism was first mention in 1911 by Eugen Bleuler when he was noting the differences between autism and schizophrenia. Earlier records of behavior and characteristics of autism exist going back several centuries. Source

  • Acetaminophen/paracetamol/Tylenol - Paracetamol was first developed in 1878, but there wasn’t widespread use of Tylenol in the United States until the 1950’s.

  • They have not made the study or data they are basing their information off of public yet. But they seem to be basing the entire decision based off of one previously published study. Link

The study linking Tylenol with ADHD and autism was published in 2019, and while it has suggested more research is needed, there have not been any definitive studies that show acetaminophen use causes autism.

The driving factor according to Trump and Kennedy is the sharp rise in autism rates. They credit this increase with something that children must be being exposed to. This is problematic because there tends to be multiple factors that lead to increased rates of diagnosis of any disease. For autism especially we know there are several reasons for the increase in rates besides just exposure. Among them are:

  • Better information available to providers about how to diagnose autism. The symptoms that they look for to diagnose autism have been broadened, so more people meet the criteria.

  • More people know about autism because of public education and awareness campaigns. Therefore more people are asking to be diagnosed. Source

They offered the Amish community as an example of people with low autism rates.

  • This is problematic because the Amish are less likely to seek out modern medical and psychological care. Therefore they will likely show lower rates based on that alone.

“ACOG supports the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy when taken as needed, in moderation, and after consultation with a doctor.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) put out their own statement on the use of Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol) in 2021 (Link), saying that moderate use was safe for both pregnancy and fetal development. They also have a FAQ about acetaminophen use and pregnancy available. Link

Tylenol also put out their own statement here: Acetaminophen and autism

Until there is more published data showing a stronger link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism the best advice is to speak with your doctor about any risks or benefits of taking the medication. Everyone deserves pain management - especially during pregnancy.

I will be back tomorrow with more comments on the vaccine issues that were brought up during the press conference.

Quotes and clips taken from:

https://www.c-span.org/program/white-house-event/president-trump-makes-an-announcement-on-autism-research/666073

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-trump-kennedy-autism-initiatives-leucovorin-tylenol-research-2025.html

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/autism-announcement-fact-sheet.html

https://grants.nih.gov/news-events/nih-extramural-nexus-news/2025/05/announcing-the-nih-autism-data-science-initiative-research-opportunity

https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/autism-data-science-initiative/funded-research

Nichole Miner