Autism Society of North Carolina reacts to Trump Tylenol warning
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) — During a White House press conference yesterday, President Donald Trump warned pregnant mothers to refrain from using Tylenol. According to the Trump administration, the medication has ties to causing autism. Trump also announced a new effort to study the causes of autism.
The Autism Society of North Carolina is urging people and families to do their research before taking this claim at face value. According to the non-profit, one in 31 children may be diagnosed with autism nationally.
In North Carolina, more than 40,000 people and their families receive services from the Autism Society. David Laxton is the director of communications at the autism society and he is hoping people will ask their medical provider before relying on these claims alone.
“It’s just really confusing, when you are a person and you are watching this and saying ‘okay what do we do and what does this mean?” he said. “And I’m hoping that one of the things that will come out of this is that there will be more discussion around what is good research into autism.”
Laxton says many medical experts note the announcement relies on older studies that could have been further reaching in their research, while there have been new studies come out that debunk the administration’s claim.
Kenvue, the company behind tylenol said in a statement on Monday the company disputes any link between the drug and autism.
Laxton also says that despite the administration’s claims, this sparks a new conversation around autism and pushes new funding for research into the brain disorder.
