While I am grateful that this bold statement has shone a spotlight on autism, there is also the matter of creating fear amongst every day people. It has taken me awhile to process and pen an opinion down in a coherent manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a mother of a child on the autism spectrum and an advocate for neurodiversity, I welcome honest discussions about autism \u2014 what causes it, how to support those on the spectrum, and how to build inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 22, 2025<\/strong>, President Trump claimed that pregnant women should not take Tylenol, and that childhood vaccines may be contributing to autism. He described current vaccination schedules as \u201ca pile of stuff,\u201d implying children are over-vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While framed as an effort to \u201ctackle the autism epidemic,\u201d such remarks risk reigniting fear and stigma<\/strong> long disproven by science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Announcements made without nuance may do more harm than good.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n But when I heard that President Trump recently linked Tylenol (acetaminophen)<\/strong> and childhood vaccines<\/strong> to autism, I felt deep concern. Not because I reject new research, but because I have seen how oversimplified narratives can harm families<\/strong> and set back years of advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autism is a spectrum. If you\u2019ve met one person with autism, you\u2019ve met one person with autism.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Is this fear now warranted or will it potentially open the door to other health complications when expectant mothers refuse acetaminophen and children succumbing to complications from the measles from vaccine refusal? (Point to note, there are already documented cases of children dying from the measles due to vaccine refusal)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We already know \u2014 autism is not caused by parenting, vaccines, or one single factor.<\/strong> Research into prenatal exposures, genetics, and environmental factors continues, but no credible study has proven causation<\/strong> between Tylenol or vaccines and autism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCorrelation is not causation \u2014 and families deserve to know the difference.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Even well-intentioned announcements can inadvertently send a painful message: For many autistic people and their families, this narrative invalidates lived experiences. Autism is not a tragedy; it is a difference in neurodevelopment<\/strong>. Suggesting that it could have been \u201cavoided\u201d frames neurodivergence as a defect instead of a diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autism is not something to cure. People do not \u2018suffer\u2019 from autism \u2014 they live, grow, and contribute with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Health decisions affect real lives \u2014 mothers, children, teachers, and therapists working every day to support growth and inclusion. To erode public trust in the name of \u201ccommon sense\u201d is reckless and irresponsible. When claims like these are made, it cannot be mere sweeping statements but instead, backed by properly researched professionals in the related field. Where was the autism expert during the announcement? From my view, there were only 2 people standing at that podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s move away from fear-driven headlines and toward fact-driven compassion<\/strong>. \u201cChoose clarity over sensationalism, evidence over fear, and community over blame.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n It only took a certain amount of time to make the announcement, and those who made the announcement are on to the next item on the agenda. So, what about our children? They are still autistic and will continue to be autistic for the rest of their lives. What about us? Parents will get to a point of needing support ourselves and how do we then provide for our high support needs children? <\/p>\n\n\n\n We can only do our best. Let’s continue doing what we do – support our neurodivergent children and friends; and continue to advocate their rights as loudly as we can. Collectively, we will be heard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Desiree Kaur The statement by U. S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on 22 September 2025, create quite a stir, globally within autistic communities and their allies. Many responded quickly – from medical practitioners to educators, care givers, self advocates and even our very own Ministry of Health in Malaysia. While I am grateful that this bold statement has shone a spotlight on autism, there is also the matter of creating fear amongst every day people. It has taken me awhile to process and pen an opinion down in\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[77,4,10],"tags":[25,15,12,38,51,64],"class_list":["post-3986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism","category-news","category-parents","tag-advocacy","tag-autism","tag-inclusion","tag-neurodiversity","tag-parent-initiatives","tag-support"],"blocksy_meta":"","acf":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325.jpg",1280,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325-500x333.jpg",500,333,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325.jpg",1280,853,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325.jpg",1280,853,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-angela-roma-7319325-18x12.jpg",18,12,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable":" By Desiree Kaur The statement by U. S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on 22 September 2025, create quite a stir, globally within autistic communities and their allies. Many responded quickly – from medical practitioners to educators, care givers, self advocates and even our very own Ministry of Health in Malaysia. While I am grateful that this bold statement has shone a spotlight on autism, there is also the matter of creating fear amongst every day people. It has taken me awhile to process and pen an opinion down in…<\/p>\n","category_list":"Autism<\/a>, News<\/a>, Parents<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Desiree Kaur","url":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/author\/nevyr-haans\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3986"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4015,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986\/revisions\/4015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-greg-1251451-2418664-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen Leadership Statements Stir Fear, Not Clarity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n
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How This Hurts the Autism Community<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
That autism is something to prevent<\/em>, or worse, blame<\/em>. As a mother to a child that knows only love and to love, it felt hurtful. Most mothers have already walked down the path of getting blamed or blaming ourselves. This has open up old wounds unnecessarily. How many times do we need to pull ourselves out of this “blame game” rabbit hole?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/projecthaans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pexels-tara-winstead-8386139-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat We Need Instead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Building Trust Through Science and Empathy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Autism is not an epidemic to eradicate; it is part of humanity\u2019s diversity to understand and embrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n