Autism is a topic Brittany Slawter cares about deeply. All three of her children − ages 11, 12 and 13 − have autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, the clinical name for the condition commonly referred to as autism. Her two older daughters, who have ASD Level 3, she says, are non-verbal and will require lifelong care for their basic needs.
So, when the 37-year-old Pennsylvania mother heard of a White House press conference where President Donald Trump had promised days prior to reveal his “answer to autism,” she tuned in.
She says the president’s “answer” − Tylenol during pregnancy − made her “livid.”
Slawter says she never took Tylenol during any of her pregnancies. Neither did some other mothers of autistic children, who have expressed similar dismay at the president’s remarks. “I have 5 autism babies and I know for a fact I never took Tylenol,” wrote one mother on Facebook. “I never took Tylenol or acetaminophen when I was pregnant,” wrote another. “Nothing caused this — he was born with it.”
“I feel like ever since my kids were diagnosed 12 years ago, we’ve really come pretty far, as far as making spaces more inclusive and making people less afraid of the autistic mind,” Slawter says.
In Slawter’s view, all this press conference did was cast blame on moms for something that, she believes, remains largely outside their control.
“I didn’t take Tylenol. I was very vigilant about taking care of myself,” she says. “I just feel like it was really a slap in the face for parents.”
What does the science say about Tylenol use during pregnancy?
Trump’s announcement came after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to find the cause of rising autism cases by September 2025.
“We’re going to have an announcement on autism on Monday,” Trump said on Sept. 20, at a dinner hosted by the conservative American Cornerstone Institute. “I think it’s going to be a very important announcement. I think it’s going to be one of the most important things that we will do.”
Trump echoed these sentiments the following day, at a memorial rally for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “I think you’re going to find it to be amazing,” Trump said at the rally. “I think we found an answer to autism.”
Acetaminophen, often sold under the brand name Tylenol, has long been considered the safest option for managing headaches, fever and other pain during pregnancy. Large surveys have reported that between 40% to 65% of pregnant women use acetaminophen at some point during their pregnancy, according to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Decades of research have not yielded firm answers on what contributes to autism, but many scientists believe genetics, potentially in combination with environmental influences, play a role. They also say the rising incidence of autism could be attributed to increased access to diagnostic tools and improvements in early detection.
A large study encompassing over 100,000 participants found that higher-quality studies tended to find a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, according to a report published Aug. 14 in BMC Environmental Health. More than two dozen studies around the world have linked frequent use of acetaminophen during pregnancy to autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in children. But several studies have also found competing evidence.
A 2024 study in Sweden of about 2 million children, over 180,000 of whom were exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy, found no associations between the pain medication and children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.
Some researchers say the data isn’t so cut and dry. Many health conditions that cause pain or a fever, commonly treated with Tylenol, are also associated with an increased risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. For example, the 2024 Sweden study found that parents with “higher acetaminophen use” also tended to have more diagnoses of psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, were more likely to smoke or take other medications.
The way Slawter sees it, the cause of autism remains largely mysterious and, in all likelihood, doesn’t have a single answer.
“He said he was going to have a cause by September, and so they grasped at anything they could find,” she says. “So many moms were like, ‘I never took Tylenol, and I have multiple kids on the spectrum.’ So I just felt like, when I heard it, it was almost laughable.”
‘They’re amazing little people’
Many parents of autistic kids, she says, already feel enough guilt as it is. Many wonder if they did something wrong. Many wonder if there’s anything they could have done differently.
The government’s discourse around Tylenol, she worries, might make this worse.
“I felt like it was hurtful,” she says. “Listening to the news conference of him saying, ”Just tough it out and don’t take it.’ I feel like it creates a fear in women.”
As a mother to three autistic children, Slawter says she’s all for more research, science and understanding regarding the causes of autism.
What’s just as important to her, however, is finding ways for autistic kids to thrive into adulthood. Educating others on the way they talk about autism, she says, matters too.
In the meantime, Slawter, who is getting married this weekend, looks forward to continuing to care for her kids and family. Her goal is to make sure her kids never lose sight of their self-worth.
“I don’t ever want my kids to feel like they’re this terrible thing,” Slawter says. “They’re amazing little people.”
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez
