President Trump recently urged pregnant women to "tough it out" and avoid taking Tylenol, claiming there is a correlation between the active ingredient in the painkiller, acetaminophen and autism. The claim that Tylenol use during a pregnancy can cause autism has led to panic, confusion, and frustration from women and their doctors.
Medical experts have pushed back, saying that such claims are misleading and research shows there's no causal link between acetaminophen and autism. Yet the federal government is moving forward with this assertion. The Trump administration is also introducing a new treatment for autism spectrum disorder — a prescription form of vitamin B9 called leucovorin.
If you’re an expecting parent, your head may be spinning. Where do you turn to for accurate information? Where does your doctor turn for their information? What are the signs of autism and if you receive that diagnosis, where do you turn to advocate for your child?
On this Charlotte Talks, we hear from a medical expert who treats pregnant women, a child psychiatrist who helps patients navigate their autism spectrum diagnosis, and from a parent who works to connect families to resources. We examine the science behind the Trump administration's claim, look at what autism actually is and learn more on how parents can manage through a diagnosis.
GUESTS:
Dr. Amelia Sutton, maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Charlotte, also an OBGYN
Dr. Jill Grayson, adolescent and child psychiatrist
La Becky Roe, parent, autism advocate, executive director of Let’s Talk About It–the Autism Center
