Correcting misinformation about autism

Months of sweeping changes by the current U.S. administration have prompted a surge of fear and uncertainty around autism. The combination of misinformation, harmful rhetoric, and concerning policy shifts has troubled psychologists who provide treatment and evaluations, conduct research, and serve as advocates. Last spring, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called autism a “rapidly growing epidemic” and alluded to an “environmental toxin” as its cause. He characterized autistic children as “kids who 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.”

Despite the fact that Kennedy fast-tracked studies to pinpoint the “root causes of autism” by September 2025, overall federal funding for autism research was cutopens in new window. Privacy concerns spiked in May when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the launch of a “real-world data platformopens in new window” that would share medical and wearable data of autistic enrollees with the studies’ researchers.

In a White House press conference on September 22, 2025, President Donald Trump claimed—citing unconfirmed evidence—that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is strongly linked to autism in children. Acetaminophen, the generic form of Tylenol, has long been prescribed by physicians as a safe medication for pain and fever during pregnancy. President Trump urged pregnant women to “fight like hell not to take [Tylenol].” He added that the Food and Drug Administration would recommend doctors advise pregnant patients against its use and update acetaminophen labels with a statement about the alleged risk. Kennedy also announced plans to investigate vaccines, alleging “research on the potential link between autism and vaccines has been actively suppressed in the past.”

The announcement was met with immediate pushback from medical experts and autism advocates. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists affirmedopens in new window the “safety and benefits of acetaminophen during pregnancy”. Autism Speaksopens in new window emphasized studies on acetaminophen and autism “have not—to date—proven causation” and that autism is influenced by factors such as “genetics, parental health, and environment.”

The administration’s statements follow months of sweeping changes that have prompted a surge of fear and uncertainty around autism.

APA and other organizationsopens in new window have pointed out that Kennedy’s April 2025 statements contradict scientific consensus around autism and reinforce harmful stereotypes about the autistic community. Increasing numbers of autism diagnoses reflect improved screening and diagnostic practices as well as increased public awareness (Shaw, K. A., et al., Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 74, No. 2, 2025opens in new window). Autism, clinically known as autism spectrum disorder, is not a diagnosis with a single cause (such as environmental toxins or vaccines) but a spectrum of neurodevelopmental differences that vary across individuals based on genetic, biological, and environmental factors (Froehlich, W., & Fung, L. K., Psychiatric Times, Vol. 29, No. 11, 2012opens in new window).

According to the Coalition of Autism Scientistsopens in new window, researchers have discovered “hundreds of genes associated with autism” along with “environmental factors that may interact with genetic predisposition.” The full range of genetic combinations and triggers are yet to be fully understood.

A recent twin study highlights this complexity. Researchers analyzed data from 366 identical twin pairs, including both autistic and non-autistic individuals (Castelbaum, L., et al., Behavior Genetics, Vol. 50, 2020opens in new window). They found that in 96% of the pairs, both were autistic. However, there was variation in how disabling their autistic traits were. Twins with lower clinical impact were more similar in terms of their particular autistic traits than twins with higher levels of disability. This suggests that while genetics plays a strong role, individual experiences and environmental factors can shape the degree and impact of how autistic traits manifest.

Similarly, in another study, researchers examined a large neuroimaging dataset of autistic individuals and identified three main patterns in how different parts of the brain connect and communicate (Buch, A. M., et al., Nature Neuroscience, Vol. 26, 2023opens in new window). Based on these patterns, they were able to identify four subgroups of autistic individuals, each with unique profiles of brain connectivity and behaviors. Each subgroup showed genetic differences related to how their brain regions communicated with each other, along with other biological processes. These findings show the complex interplay between biological and genetic factors, demonstrating that autism has no single root cause; rather, it has many pathways to how it presents itself. Autism is best understood as a spectrum of neurodevelopmental differences that can manifest in distinct profiles.

One of the most prevalent and harmful myths about autism is that it is caused by vaccines. This misconception originated from a now-discredited study published in The Lancetopens in new window in 1998 by former physician Andrew Wakefield. The study focused on 12 children, eight of whom had developed autism after receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine according to their parents. Wakefield’s methodology was deeply flawedopens in new window, using cherry-picked cases, a very small sample, no control group, and relying on parental recall. It also did not account for the fact that the age at which children receive the MMR vaccine coincides with the onset of regressive autism in many children. Subsequent investigations have found Wakefield misrepresented the medical histories of some of the children in the study (Deer, B., The British Medical Journal, Vol. 342, 2011opens in new window). Wakefield’s study was retracted 12 years later, and the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council removed him from the medical register.

Large epidemiological studies have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Similarly, 16 large population-based studies have found no link between autism and thimerosal, a preservative commonly used in other childhood vaccines. The scientific consensus debunking a link between vaccines and autism is robust (DeStefano, F., & Shimabukuro, T. T., Annual Review of Virology, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2019opens in new window). However, vaccine hesitancy continues to linger because of distrust in public health authorities, particularly among parents of autistic children who are seeking answers (Mensah-Bonsu, N. E., et al., Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 36, No. 10, 2021opens in new window). It is essential for public health authorities to rely on the rigorous research debunking this myth as they seek to investigate the root causes of autism.

Kennedy’s promise to deliver preliminary results on autism’s root causes by September has also prompted multiple experts to dismiss his timeline as unrealisticopens in new window. “There have been decades of research into understanding autism,” said Micah Mazurek, PhD, director of the Supporting Transformative Autism Research program at the University of Virginia and president of APA Division 33 (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorder). “The bottom line is that science takes a while, and part of the scientific method is replication. The idea that we could find an answer by September just does not make sense.”

An August 2025 study in BMC Environmental Healthopens in new window found positive associations between acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, a much larger Swedish studyopens in new window of approximately 2.5 million children found no association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.

Framing autism as a tragedy or disease and using deficit-based stereotypes to describe autistic people harms their mental health while also twisting public perception, experts say. Moreover, they warn such rhetoric undermines decades of progress for people with disabilities and evokes a painful history of violence, institutionalization, and sterilization. Autistic psychologist and neurodiversity advocate Karissa Burnett, PhD, noted, “When we reduce autistic lives to economic output, we revive the same eugenic logic that has endangered disabled people for more than a century.”

The lack of clear information from the government about protecting privacy in the proposed NIH/CMS data platform has fueled significant anxiety and mistrust. “Registries without full consent and oversight put disabled people at risk. We need to be centering safety, not surveillance,” Burnett said. Psychologists have reported a surge in distress among autistic patients and their families following the announcement. Many fear their private health data could be used without their consent. Some are canceling or postponing evaluations, requesting redactions in patient records, or questioning the safety of disclosing their children’s diagnoses in Individualized Education Plans, the agreement between parents and their child’s educators that outlines the accommodations the child will receive at school.

Jennifer Paz Ryan, PsyD, cofounder of Elevated Insights Assessment, LLC, in Denver, has seen these effects firsthand. “It’s a panic and a plea,” Paz Ryan said. “Families are asking, ‘What’s going to happen to me or my child? What do I tell them? How does this impact them?’” This sense of fear is particularly harmful as autistic people are already at higher risk for anxiety and depression.

The cancellation of evaluations disrupts diagnoses that would allow access to essential services. “It’s heartbreaking because these services are vital for children and adults. To delay receiving a diagnosis in a timely way is going to delay access to care and support for people who really need it,” said Mazurek.

“Diagnosis is supposed to be a doorway to support, not a trap. Autistic people already face devastating rates of trauma, suicidality, and mental health misdiagnosis,” Burnett said.

Ben VanHook, an autistic graduate student and advocate who is active in Division 33, admitted that he has personally avoided seeking medical and psychiatric care because of privacy fears. “It has really impacted my ability to get medications and to trust that my doctors have my best intentions or interests in mind. I’m really skeptical as to whether they will or will not share my private information with the federal government,” he said.

Burnett recommends that psychologists take a trauma-informed and social justice–oriented therapeutic approach that validates clients’ fears and experiences. Clinicians can also remind patients that if their diagnosis is on record with their insurer, they may be able to opt out of their private health information being used in research under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Providers should openly discuss their privacy practices with clients, prioritize transparent and consent-driven care, and minimize unnecessary disclosures whenever legally and ethically permissible.

Psychologists are embracing a strengths-based approach that affirms neurodiversity in their advocacy, research, and clinical work on autism. “What has really advanced our work, especially in the past decade, has been partnering with autistic individuals and families,” said Cameron Neece, PhD, director of the Child Research and Treatment Evaluation Lab and a past-president of Division 33. “I feel that we’re one of the rare disciplines that has tried, as intentionally as possible, to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of neurodevelopment.”

VanHook is critical of deficit-based diagnoses of autism in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He urges psychologists to let autistic individuals define their own strengths and needs to shift away from deficit-based diagnostic language. “The medical model of disability is responsible for creating harmful stigmas and stereotypes about the autistic community through rhetoric such as ‘deficient in,’ ‘rigid/inflexible,’ or ‘difficulty with,’” he said. “By contrast, strengths-based approaches can dismantle these stereotypes while helping autistic people develop self-acceptance and embracing their identity.”

Creating neuroaffirming and nonjudgmental spaces is particularly important in the current climate. “It takes a hell of a lot of vulnerability for a family to continue with an evaluation for autism at this time,” Paz Ryan said. “We have to celebrate that strength.” In addition to her direct consultation with families, Paz Ryan is making an impact on the advocacy front. As a member of the executive board of the Autism Society of Colorado (ASC), she has worked alongside colleagues to provide sample letters and scripts to community members so they can engage legislators and advocate against harmful policies that impact autistic individuals.

Challenging outdated and stigmatizing views of autism is also a powerful way psychologists can support the community. “One of the most important things the public can understand is that autism is a form of neurodiversity and not a deficit or disease. Autistic people think, feel, and connect in ways that are often different but equally valid,” said Elizabeth Laugeson, PsyD, director of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills Clinic.

Adding to the urgency, recent funding cuts to autism research risk jeopardizing years of considerable progress when it comes to understanding how best to support autistic individuals. During the first few months of the year, $31 million in NIH autism research funding was cutopens in new window, including many studies investigating the barriers autistic people face in education and employment. “Just one of many examples includes a research study I was a part of for Cornell University that explored pathways to STEM careers for autistic jobseekers,” said VanHook. “It was terminated in May. The cuts to funding for crucial research studies are going to set us back decades in terms of support for our community.”

To move forward, experts stress the need for ethical, inclusive research. “We need more research into personalized interventions that are going to be the best fit for the right person at the right time,” said Mazurek. “If you are designing new studies, it needs to be done in a very systematic and ethical way. The people leading those studies should be experts in their fields and should involve the voices of autistic people in planning and conducting those studies.”

Burnett emphasizes the importance of learning from autistic-led organizations, such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, about how best to support autonomy, safety, and informed decision-making for autistic people navigating health care systems.

Daisy Montgomery, an autistic advocate and ASC board member, encourages psychologists to hire autistic educators to come to their communities so the public can see and hear from autistic people themselves as a direct counter to misinformation. “The more we humanize autism and take the stereotype of it being a boogeyman out of the conversation, the more that we can look at it as just a variation of neurotypes,” Montgomery said.

For Burnett, the takeaway is urgent and clear: “Autistic people thrive not when we are cured, but when we are understood, accommodated, and respected. Psychologists must move from awareness to allegiance and stand with autistic people against dehumanization.”