Updated September 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM EDT
The Trump administration's suggestion of a link between acetaminophen and autism may only serve to raise stigma about autism and make parents feel guilty that they directly caused their children's condition, according to Colin Killick, the executive director of the Washington-based Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
President Trump said this week pregnant women should "tough it out" to avoid taking the pain reliever acetaminophen because of unproven claims that taking it heightens the risk of autism in children.
"Fight like hell not to take it. There may be a point where you have to and that your. You have to work out with yourself. So don't take Tylenol," Trump said Monday, flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has long argued autism may be caused by environmental factors.
Scientific and medical groups have pushed back strongly against the Trump administration's claims saying they are not supported by research.
Killick, who himself has autism, said in an interview with Morning Edition that the administration is talking about autism as though its "existence is some sort of plague." He argues moves supported by the administration, including cuts to Medicaid following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, may only make it harder for autistic people to get support they need. People with autism and other intellectual disabilities disproportionately rely on Medicaid, according to health policy research group KFF, and those who rely on a range of long-term care options and face challenges getting private health coverage could be affected by spending cuts to the program over the next decade.
"This administration talks so much about autism. It seems to care very little about autistic people," Killick said.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement that Killick's comments "disparage the historic actions HHS is finally taking to get answers for millions of American families" under Kennedy.
"Our commitment drives us to follow the science and share critical public health information as soon as it becomes available, ensuring families are informed and communities are protected," Nixon said.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told NPR in an emailed statement that Monday's announcement featured two mothers of children with autism and that they "praised President Trump for actually listening to the questions and concerns of parents across the country – questions and concerns that this President and Administration remain committed to addressing."
Speaking to NPR's Michel Martin, Killick discussed how the Trump administration's claims are being received by the autism community and what impacts he believes they may have.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
Michel Martin: What was your reaction to that press conference at the White House?
Colin Killick: I was horrified, but I think we've been pretty consistently horrified by what this administration has said about autism, going back to Secretary Kennedy, talking about autism destroying people and destroying families and giving this laundry list of activities that autistic people supposedly can't do. This administration talks so much about autism. It seems to care very little about autistic people.
Editor's note: In April, Kennedy said many people with autism "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 out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted."
Martin: So this isn't the only unsupported theory out there about the causes of autism, but this is the president of the United States and the health secretary saying it. So I just wonder what kind of conversations this is sparking among people with autism and their loved ones.
Killick: The people we're hearing from certainly aren't buying it, but they're outraged this has been put out there and they're outraged that mothers are being blamed. If you go back decades, they used to say that autism was caused by "refrigerator mothers" who were too cold towards their children. Now we know that's complete nonsense, but yet again, they're pointing the finger and making people feel guilt — feel like this is somehow their fault, which is ridiculous. Autism is genetic. It's inborn. Nothing makes people autistic except, you know, who they inherently are.
Martin: So what impact do you think this guidance could have, especially because it is coming from the highest levels of government?
Killick: One is that it's going to lead people not to take [acetaminophen], which we certainly know that fever during pregnancy can cause all kinds of actual developmental issues. But it also just continues to ratchet up the stigma. They talk about autistic people, like our existence is some sort of plague. And they said in the press conference that their goal was eliminating autism or that they want to get the rate down to zero. And that's really troubling because folks in our community hear that and think "The only way for the rate to get to zero is for us to just not exist anymore."
Martin: And is that because there are just so many ways that autism can present? People can hear you. You obviously know what you're talking about and you can speak very well and you can articulate these thoughts and so forth. And I guess because there's such a wide range of presentations, you figure that it just means that everybody is nonfunctional – that's kind of the message that it sends?
Killick: Well, yes. And also, they're not even correct about people who have high support needs or who have intellectual disabilities, right? I know non-speaking poets. Right. I know people with intellectual disabilities who are experts in their fields like everybody. You know, the community has some level of support need and has some challenges.
Martin: So before we let you go, is there anything you'd like to say now to people with or without autism who are just trying to make sense of all this.
Killick: Just that there is no autism epidemic. The reason the rates have gone up is because we've expanded the definition as we've learned more about the condition and because we've put lots of money and time and effort into identifying autism earlier and more broadly, which is a good thing, it lets people get the accommodations and support that they need.
This digital article was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. The radio version was produced by Lindsay Totty and Nia Dumas.
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