Acetaminophen and autism misinformation

Authors: Liv Mace, Kendall Nelson, and Sophie Cramer-Benjamin

Our recent lab discussion centered around the current announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Trump administration linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism diagnoses. We discussed the source of this information: a meta-analysis published in the Environmental Health journal titled “Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology”. We also reviewed a CNN News interview with the FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, and the Director of Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Dr. James McPartland. In the news segment, the FDA commissioner referenced the journal article and falsely stated that this provided proof that there is a causal link between acetaminophen use and autism diagnosis. Later in the news segment, Dr. McPartland emphasized the complexity of autism and addressed some of the misinformation being spread. 

As a lab, we discussed the dangers of misinformation, especially when they are espoused by governmental bodies and concern marginalized populations (e.g., disabled people, pregnant people). We also talked about our role as autism researchers in stopping the spread of misinformation in this area in particular. To this end, lab members described the importance of communicating our science to the public, connecting with local communities, using approachable language, and emphasizing ‘real-world’ applications to our research.  

Finally, lab members addressed the FDA commissioner’s claims directly. Lab members expressed disappointment from the use of the term “epidemic” to refer to the autistic community, as autism is not a disease. Further, the rise in autism diagnoses and visibility of individuals with higher support needs in recent years is due to more inclusive diagnostic criteria, improved identification of autism, increases in access to services, a reduction in the practice of institutionalization, and improved medical care for individuals with complex medical needs (D’Astous et al., 2016; Stringfellow et al., 2024).   
 
References 
D’Astous, V., Manthorpe, J., Lowton, K., & Glaser, K. (2016). Retracing the historical social care context of autism: A narrative overview. The British Journal of Social Work, 46(3), 789–807. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu131 
 
Stringfellow, M. K., Fields, N. L., Lee, K., Anderson, K. A., & Brokaw, E. (2024). Healthy aging and older adults with autism: A scoping review. The Gerontologist, 64(11), gnae026. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae026