Commentary by Stephen Macaulay
A story published by medical news site Stat on March 23, 2023, opens:
“On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced another increase in the prevalence of autism among children. In a pair of new reports — one focused on 8-year-olds and one on 4-year-olds — the CDC found that 1 out of every 36 children has autism. This is a significant increase from the 2021 estimate of 1 in 44, which was a big jump from 1 in 110 in 2006.”
Certainly an increase that should be concerning. But is it actually increasing?
The story goes on to point out:
“The main reason we are finding more autism is simple: Clinicians are getting better at spotting what was always there. There is no simple test for autism, so diagnosing it requires substantial training in observational techniques.”
In other words, as there is more medical work being undertaken, there is more evidence of autism being diagnosed.
The story was written by John Elder Robison and Dena Gassner:
“John Elder Robison is an autistic adult and the neurodiversity scholar at the College of William & Mary and neurodiversity adviser to Landmark College and the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. He served two terms on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), which produces and manages the Strategic Plan for Autism for the US government. Dena Gassner is an autistic adult who is an adjunct professor at Towson University and a Ph.D. candidate at Adelphi University. She currently serves on IACC and is a board member for the Institute for Exceptional Care. Both authors are parents of autistic adults.”
Yes, they have deep knowledge.
On September 22 Donald Trump talked about this important topic.
Among the things he said was this:
“It’s probably 20 years ago in New York. I was a developer,* as you probably heard, and I always had very strong feelings about autism and how it happened and where it came from. And he and I — I don’t know, the word got out. And I wouldn’t say that people were very understanding of where we were, but it’s turning out that we understood a lot more than a lot of people who studied it, we think. And I say we think because I don’t think they were really letting the public know what they knew.”
The “he” in that quote above is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Although he is the head of the Department of Health and Human Services and is making policy related to things medical, like autism, he has no formal medical or scientific training. Probably self-taught from things he picked up on the internet.
President Trump, too, has no training in these disciplines. But on the subject of autism, as well as many other things, “we understood a lot more than a lot of people who studied it, we think. And I say we think because I don’t think they were really letting the public know what they knew.”
That’s right, they knew more than the experts. And, of course, the experts were evidently involved in some sort of conspiracy because “I don’t think they were really letting the public know what they knew.”
There is no evidence offered regarding this claim. There rarely is evidence offered about any of his claims.
Speaking of claims, there’s this:
“And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something?”
Not to make light of any of this because it is something that needs to be taken seriously, but arguably there are certain groups of people who don’t floss their teeth who don’t have autism.
He went on to prescribe:
“The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel, the mumps, measles.”
He’s referring to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
He went on:
“And the three should be taken separately. And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So there’s no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it’s better. So let it be separate.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of January 17, 2025:
“The best way to protect against measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Children may get the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine instead, which protects against chickenpox too.
“Most people who are vaccinated with MMR & MMRV will be protected for life. Vaccines and high rates of vaccination have made these diseases much less common in the United States.”
What!?! Vaccines work!?! Even if they’re mixed, as they have been since 1971?!?
While it is true, as the president says, “there could be a problem,” couldn’t that be said about anything?
More medical advice from Dr. Trump:
“And then hepatitis B is sexually transmitted. There’s no reason to give a baby that’s almost just born hepatitis B. So I would say wait till the baby is twelve years old and formed, and take hepatitis B. And I think if you do those things, it’s going to be a whole different, it’s going to be a revolution in a positive sense in the country.”
While it is true hep B is sexually transmitted, the transmission has to do with exposure to infected fluids or blood. So if the mother happens to be infected, this means the baby that’s fully born is exposed to those fluids long before the baby celebrates her or his 12th birthday.
And finally, the discussion of Tylenol and autism.
According to my bottle of Tylenol, there are a multiplicity of warnings, ranging from the potential “severe liver damage” to “severe skin reactions.”
There is also this:
“If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a medical professional before use.”
There is no hiding that concern.
What does non-medical professional Trump say?
“Because I think you shouldn’t take it. And you shouldn’t take it during the entire pregnancy. They may tell you that toward the end of the pregnancy, you shouldn’t take it during the entire. And you shouldn’t give the child the Tylenol every time he goes. He’s born, he goes and has a shot. You shouldn’t give a Tylenol to that child. All pregnant women should talk to their doctors for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant. So ideally, you don’t take it at all. But if you have to, if you can’t tough it out, if there’s a problem, you’re going to end up doing it.”
He thinks a lot of things.
And one of the things he thinks on this whole matter of health care is rather bizarre:
“And I will say there are parts of the world that don’t take Tylenol. I mean, there’s a rumor, and I don’t know if it’s so or not, that Cuba, they don’t have Tylenol, because they don’t have the money to put Tylenol. And they have virtually no autism, okay?
Tell me about that one.”
That’s right, he’s heard about Cuba not having Tylenol. Turns out that what he’s hear isn’t accurate. There is acetaminophen in Cuba, including Tylenol.
But if they didn’t, does the U.S. really want to have a medical regime like that in Cuba?
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*Just as at the United Nations, he had to point out that he was a building developer. Perhaps he recognizes that as president he isn’t doing particularly good. According to Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin, as of September 24:
“As of today, 43.9 percent of Americans approve of the job he’s doing and 53.3 percent disapprove. That net approval rating of -9.4 is Trump’s worst since July 24th. But still, it’s not a huge departure from where he’s been for the past six months. Trump’s net approval has fluctuated between -4 and -10 since early April.”
Maybe all of that bluster makes one think he’s more popular than he isn’t.