full spectrum of reproductive health care,
including abortion. As soon as we are able to. In other
medical news, the Waisman center on the UW-Madison
campus is a leader in research and care of people
with autism. So what did professionals there think?
When, this week, President Donald Trump told pregnant
women not to take Tylenol as his administration
warned of an association with acetaminophen and
autism? At the same time, the FDA commissioner also
announced the agency would work to fast track a folic
acid metabolite called leucovorin to treat autism.
Direct Admit. Weizmann Centers Autism and
Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Lily Wagner joins
us. And thanks very much for being here.
>> Yeah, thank you for having me.
>> So first, the announcement that Tylenol
associated with autism in children. Is that true?
>> I think the best answer that we have, and that we
can tell patients of ours confidently, is that the
really good science and that. Tylenol causes autism.
We do have decades of research showing that
things like maternal fever and pain during pregnancy
can have significant risks, including including some
developmental delays or differences. But but no,
there's there's no evidence of a causal relationship at
this time. your clinic been getting
from families about this? >> Yeah, I think as you can
imagine, we have a lot of moms who are feeling a lot
of different things right now. Very distressed. Very.
A lot of guilt, a lot of worry about this. And I
think one thing that we're trying to tell families is
that they don't have to make the decision about
whether or not to use Tylenol by themselves. You
know, we were trying to really encourage them to
reach out to their trusted health care providers,
their pediatrician, their own personal doctor or ob
gyn, and have them walk them through the studies
that are showing these associations and walk them
through the recommendations that are put out there by
professional organizations because, you know, it is so
confusing. All the mixed they should they should be
able to get guidance from people they trust.
children diagnosed with autism has been on the rise.
Do researchers know why? >> Yes. So the the newest
prevalence rates it has been increasing for
probably prevalence has been increasing for the
past 20 years. I think now we're at one inch 31 as the
most recent numbers. And they're likely there are
many different reasons for that. There is increased
access to services, there are better children are
being identified much earlier. They're being
identified. We have better screening practices. The
diagnostic criteria has changed over time. There
are likely also some genetic and environmental
factors that, you know, I won't speak to directly
because that's not my field. But certainly there is not
one cause. And I do just want to point out that the
use of acetaminophen Tylenol has has plateaued
or decreased over the past 20 years, so it would be
hard to explain the decrease in that with the
increase in autism. If if there was a causal
relationship. cure or treatment for
autism, the drug Leucovorin. Leucovorin Leucovorin. Is
that promising? >> You know, I think I
think potentially promising is a nice way to describe
it. I think right now there is not enough scientific
evidence to support it as a treatment for autism. Again,
I would encourage any interested families to talk
to their healthcare providers about whether
their specific child could potentially benefit from
Leucovorin. There is not enough evidence to support
it as a treatment right now, although there are some
larger randomized controlled trials underway
across the country. >> Could it could it cause
unrealistic hope for >> Yeah, I think I think
when you when you put a promise of a treatment out
there before there's the science to support it, it's
not helpful. And I think it can just add to the
confusion and kind of chaos going on right now. Yes.
>> What should people do families do with this
information coming from the federal government right
now? >> You know, I think I
think back to what I said, I would really encourage
families to reach out to providers that they trust
and listen to their recommendations because
they're basing their recommendations on science,
on evidence. And I and I also want to say that it's
very harmful to the autism community. I think the way
that some people are talking about autism as a,
you know, something that needs to be cured or, or
something that's harmful to families. I think autistic
people really add so much to our society, and we
should really be working to identify ways to better