No, that doesn’t give children autism. Or that.

 

What’s going on?

Critical thinking seems to be becoming more and more of a lost art with each passing year. This is especially evident in the interplay between politics and public health that has arisen in recent years. Fewer and fewer people are going in for doctors’ visits, giving their kids vaccines, and enrolling their kids in public school. Some parents are even refusing to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) while pregnant or give their kids vaccines for fear of them developing autism. These parents claim to do so because they are ”skeptical.” Healthy skepticism is important, true. However, when there is no credible evidence to back up your claim, you must learn to accept the truth with grace rather that double down and endanger your life and that of your loved ones.

How did we get here?

The modern antivaccine movement can be traced back to the late 1990s. A study by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was published in The Lancet that purportedly linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism in children (1). The study was immediately placed under scrutiny for its “small sample size (n=12), the uncontrolled design, and the speculative nature of its conclusions” (2). They also note that “a temporal link between the two is almost predestined: both events, by design (MMR vaccine) or definition (autism), occur in early childhood” (2) (as always, correlation does not equal causation). Despite this, Wakefield’s flawed conclusions made their way into the public consciousness, and he remains a figurehead among vaccine skeptics. He has never faced any criminal convictions or even charges, though his medical license was revoked.  

The discourse surrounding acetaminophen and its link to autism is more recent. Since his appointment to Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in February of this year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has advised Americans to exercise caution before taking medications (3). In their article for PBS, Thomas Beaumont and Laura Ungar say that he even called women taking Tylenol during pregnancy “irresponsible” (4). Mind you, this was before saying that a woman in a TikTok disagreeing with him had a baby developing in her placenta rather than uterus (4). He has also advised physicians to prescribe the lowest possible dose of acetaminophen or even recommend pregnant women against taking it at all (5). People often take what authority figures say at face value, which can be extremely dangerous. Especially when the person in that position of power has made unsubstantiated claims about public health.

Andrew Wakefield, father of modern  vaccine skepticism (left) and RFK Jr. HHS Secretary

So, what’s the truth?

Autism diagnoses have been on the rise for the past four decades. However, this has also been accompanied by improvements in screening and diagnostic techniques. There is also no single cause of autism (6). The Mayo Clinic says both genetics and the environment can play a role (7). Researchers have found the number of genes to be associated with autism development to be in the hundreds (6). Potential environmental contributors include “viral infections, medications, complications during pregnancy, or air pollutants” (7). It is also important to know that autism is officially called autism spectrum disorder and, as the name implies, it can present in a variety of ways. There is no correlation between any risk factor and the way autism presents (7).

Moreover, there is no established link between vaccines or acetaminophen use in pregnant women and autism (4,5,7). Studies that have investigated this have found no relationship or an associative one at best. In fact, most experts believe it is more dangerous to not give vaccines to children. They are more likely to acquire and spread serious diseases such as whooping cough, measles, and mumps. The vast majority of physicians still say acetaminophen is safe to use, even while pregnant. Dr. Christopher Zahn, Chief of Clinical Practice at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says “pregnant patients should not be frightened away from the many benefits of acetaminophen” (3). Dr. Salena Zanotti of the Cleveland Clinic commented that acetaminophen is the safest drug to take to treat pain and fever during pregnancy (3).

Autism is a complex disease with multiple potential contributing factors

 What can we do?

Educate others patiently and respectfully. Inform them of the difference between associative and causal relationships. Teach them how to do their own research. Help them understand that science is itself often not an exact science and that mistakes are usually made on the way to discovery. You should be willing to listen to others’ concerns as well. Most importantly, don’t force someone to change their view. Resolution is achieved through discussion, not coercion.

 

 By Evan Strobel, a Master's of Medical Science Student at the University of Kentucky

 

References

 1.     The Editors of The Lancet. (2010). Retraction—ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific            colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 375(9713),                                    445.  https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60175-4

2.     Sathyanarayana Rao, T., & Andrade, C. (2011). The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation, refutation, retraction, and fraud. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 53(2), 95–96. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.82529

3.     Czopek, M. (2025, September 15). 5 things to know about autism and Tylenol during pregnancy. PolitiFact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/sep/15/Tylenol-acetaminophen-pregnancy-autism-RFK/

4.     Beaumont, T., & Ungar, L. (2025, October 10). Reupping unproven claims about Tylenol, Kennedy claims a link between circumcision and autism. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/reupping-unproven-claims-about-tylenol-kennedy-claims-a-link-between-circumcision-and-autism#:~:text=Kennedy%20noted%20during%20the%20meeting,vaccine%20confidence%20as%20health%20secretary

5.     Garrison, J. (2025, November 6). RFK Jr. says his position on Tylenol use for pregnant women hasn’t changed. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/06/rfk-jr-tylenol-pregnant-women-autism/87127637007/

6.     Parshall, A. (2025, September 22). Autism has no single cause. here’s how we know. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/autism-has-no-single-cause-research-shows/

7.     Mayo Clinic Staff. (2025, May 22). Autism spectrum disorder. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928