Last update:

Autism spectrum disorders news

Autism spectrum disorders

Prenatal exposure to specific fine particles linked to autism risk

A multi-institutional team including Health Canada researchers has found that prenatal air exposure to specific particulate matter components and early-life ozone is associated with autism spectrum disorder in Ontario children.

Autism spectrum disorders

Families pay thousands for an unproven autism treatment: Researchers say we need ethical guidelines

Over the last decade, clinics have popped up across Southern California and beyond advertising something called magnetic e-resonance therapy, or MERT, as a therapy for autism.

Health

Texas sues Tylenol makers over alleged autism link

The Texas attorney general announced a lawsuit Tuesday against the pharmaceutical companies behind Tylenol that echoes the Trump administration's allegations linking the painkiller to increased risk of autism.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autistic adults push back on 'fear-based' Trump rhetoric

Composer William Barnett started his YouTube channel as an outlet for his music—but today he also uses it to debunk the steady stream of White House rhetoric on autism while sharing his own experience living with it.

Autism spectrum disorders

FDA and Kenvue say no autism link to Tylenol use during pregnancy

The maker of Tylenol is urging U.S. health regulators not to add an autism warning label to it and other pain-relievers containing acetaminophen, calling the request "unsupported by the scientific evidence and legally and ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Why some autistic people don't speak

Around a third of autistic people—children and adults alike—are unable to share what they want using speech.

Medications

Five things to know about folinic acid and autism

As the Food and Drug Administration moves to make folinic acid an official treatment for a neurological condition associated with autism, parents want to know how it might help children with autism spectrum disorder.

Health

RFK Jr pushes fringe claim linking autism to circumcision

US President Donald Trump and his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., on Thursday promoted another fringe theory about autism—this time linking it to circumcision or to pain medication given for the procedure.

Medications

Q&A: Autism and Tylenol

The federal administration offered health guidance at a press conference this week, urging pregnant women to avoid using the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen, marketed in the U.S. as Tylenol, saying use of the medication ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Identity distress fuels mental health issues in autism

A new study from the Department of Psychology at Durham University has found that identity distress (difficulty forming a cohesive identity) could be behind the higher rates of poor mental health experienced by autistic people.

Autism spectrum disorders

What research really says about autism

About two to three percent of all Americans—including adults and children—are autistic. With recent reports that autism rates are rising, potentially due to improved diagnosis, there's a lot of conflicting information ...

Neuroscience

IQ appears to affect ability to listen in noisy settings

You're in a bustling café with a friend. The din is making it hard to tune in to the conversation. The scenario might suggest you'd benefit from a hearing aid. On the other hand, new research suggests that speech-perception ...

Medications

White House autism-Tylenol link leads to confusion

President Donald Trump's announcement advising Americans against taking acetaminophen during pregnancy to avoid the chance of autism was met with pushback from some lawmakers, including a key GOP health figure.

Autism spectrum disorders

WHO sees no autism links to Tylenol, vaccines

Neither the painkiller Tylenol nor vaccines have been shown to cause autism, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, following comments from the US president and his administration to the contrary.

Autism spectrum disorders

Does taking paracetamol while pregnant cause autism? No, experts say

There is no scientific evidence showing that pregnant women taking the painkiller paracetamol causes autism in their children, medical experts and drug regulators have emphasized after Donald Trump claimed the two were linked.

Autism spectrum disorders

Trump ties autism risk to Tylenol as scientists urge caution

US President Donald Trump on Monday vehemently insisted that pregnant people should "tough it out" and avoid Tylenol over an unproven link to autism, and urged major changes to the standard vaccines administered to babies.

Medications

Trump administration to link Tylenol to autism

On Sept. 22, Trump administration officials plan to link the active ingredient in Tylenol to autism, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Autism spectrum disorders

Trump autism 'announcement' expected Monday

US President Donald Trump was expected Monday to deliver what the White House called "an announcement" about autism, having long voiced concern about the condition's prevalence and potential causes.