By: Katie Ng
President Donald Trump made a viral claim linking acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, usage to autism in September. Trump warned pregnant women to avoid Tylenol usage and to not give their children Tylenol. Discussion about these claims continues. They have had a profound impact on autistic individuals, including those at the University of Maryland.
The Tylenol autism claims are not the first medical claims to target autistic people. For years, people, including President Trump, have claimed that a rise in autism diagnoses is caused by vaccinations, even though this claim has been debunked.
The Tylenol autism claims are similar to the vaccine claims. However, Kathy Dow, the founder of Social Interaction Network Group for All (SIGNA), a campus organization for neurodivergent students, explained that the rise in autism diagnoses is due to better documentation and early intervention. In the past years, parents have become more aware of the diagnosis and pediatricians have completed more autism screenings. Different labels in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) were also consolidated into the label Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
“To blame autism on acetaminophen and vaccines is misinformation,” Dow said. It could imply or suggest wanting to eliminate autism.
Dow believes that wanting to erase a whole population of people is wrong. Some cultures do not use acetaminophen; instead, they use natural medication. Despite this, autism still exists in every culture.
Even still, the Tylenol autism claims are impacting UMD students. Student members of SIGNA have voiced concerns over the Tylenol autism claims, Dow said. Students did not necessarily want to discuss those claims in group sessions but were able to voice their concerns in individual meeting times.
Dow noted that autistic individuals seem to feel more pride in their identities, but fear retribution. As a result, SIGNA is collaborating with and talking to other disability organizations across campus to hopefully address the misinformation.