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full spectrum of
reproductive health care,

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including abortion. As soon
as we are able to. In other

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medical news, the Waisman
center on the UW-Madison

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campus is a leader in
research and care of people

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with autism. So what did
professionals there think?

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When, this week, President
Donald Trump told pregnant

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women not to take Tylenol
as his administration

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warned of an association
with acetaminophen and

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autism? At the same time,
the FDA commissioner also

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announced the agency would
work to fast track a folic

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acid metabolite called
leucovorin to treat autism.

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Direct Admit. Weizmann
Centers Autism and

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Developmental Disabilities
Clinic. Lily Wagner joins

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us. And thanks very much
for being here.

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>> Yeah, thank you for
having me.

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>> So first, the
announcement that Tylenol

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associated with autism in
children. Is that true?

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>> I think the best answer
that we have, and that we

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can tell patients of ours
confidently, is that the

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really good science and
that. Tylenol causes autism.

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We do have decades of
research showing that

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things like maternal fever
and pain during pregnancy

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can have significant risks,
including including some

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developmental delays or
differences. But but no,

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there's there's no evidence
of a causal relationship at

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this time.
your clinic been getting

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from families about this?
>> Yeah, I think as you can

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imagine, we have a lot of
moms who are feeling a lot

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of different things right
now. Very distressed. Very.

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A lot of guilt, a lot of
worry about this. And I

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think one thing that we're
trying to tell families is

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that they don't have to
make the decision about

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whether or not to use
Tylenol by themselves. You

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know, we were trying to
really encourage them to

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reach out to their trusted
health care providers,

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their pediatrician, their
own personal doctor or ob

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gyn, and have them walk
them through the studies

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that are showing these
associations and walk them

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through the recommendations
that are put out there by

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professional organizations
because, you know, it is so

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confusing. All the mixed
they should they should be

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able to get guidance from
people they trust.

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children diagnosed with
autism has been on the rise.

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Do researchers know why?
>> Yes. So the the newest

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prevalence rates it has
been increasing for

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probably prevalence has
been increasing for the

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past 20 years. I think now
we're at one inch 31 as the

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most recent numbers. And
they're likely there are

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many different reasons for
that. There is increased

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access to services, there
are better children are

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being identified much
earlier. They're being

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identified. We have better
screening practices. The

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diagnostic criteria has
changed over time. There

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are likely also some
genetic and environmental

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factors that, you know, I
won't speak to directly

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because that's not my field.
But certainly there is not

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one cause. And I do just
want to point out that the

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use of acetaminophen
Tylenol has has plateaued

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or decreased over the past
20 years, so it would be

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hard to explain the
decrease in that with the

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increase in autism. If if
there was a causal

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relationship.
cure or treatment for

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autism, the drug Leucovorin.
Leucovorin Leucovorin. Is

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that promising?
>> You know, I think I

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think potentially promising
is a nice way to describe

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it. I think right now there
is not enough scientific

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evidence to support it as a
treatment for autism. Again,

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I would encourage any
interested families to talk

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to their healthcare
providers about whether

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their specific child could
potentially benefit from

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Leucovorin. There is not
enough evidence to support

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it as a treatment right now,
although there are some

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larger randomized
controlled trials underway

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across the country.
>> Could it could it cause

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unrealistic hope for
>> Yeah, I think I think

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when you when you put a
promise of a treatment out

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there before there's the
science to support it, it's

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not helpful. And I think it
can just add to the

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confusion and kind of chaos
going on right now. Yes.

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>> What should people do
families do with this

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information coming from the
federal government right

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now?
>> You know, I think I

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think back to what I said,
I would really encourage

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families to reach out to
providers that they trust

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and listen to their
recommendations because

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they're basing their
recommendations on science,

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on evidence. And I and I
also want to say that it's

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very harmful to the autism
community. I think the way

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that some people are
talking about autism as a,

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you know, something that
needs to be cured or, or

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something that's harmful to
families. I think autistic

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people really add so much
to our society, and we

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should really be working to
identify ways to better