Please Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Hope is on the horizon!

This week, the Trump administration announced several bold new proposals to confront the nation’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) epidemic, which has climbed almost 400% since 2000 and now affects 1 in every 31 American children... and boys three times as often as girls.

Parents of autistic children, who have long sought answers, finally have a glimmer of hope.

Meanwhile, critics – most of whom subscribe to the same conventional medical thinking that has for decades turned a blind eye to the unacceptable increase – have called President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. every unflattering name in the book for simply stating the obvious.

Something is causing this dramatic increase in autism… and the Trump administration is determined to look under every rock for a possible connection.

“For too long, families have been left without answers or options as autism rates have soared,” Secretary Kennedy said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. “Today, we are taking bold action – opening the door to the first FDA-recognized treatment pathway, informing doctors and families about potential risks, and investing in groundbreaking research. We will follow the science, restore trust, and deliver hope to millions of American families.”

Amen, Bobby. Preach it!

The first such step in the battle against autism is already underway. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will look into a potential treatment for speech-related deficits associated with ASD. Specifically, the FDA plans to authorize the use of leucovorin for children with cerebral folate deficiency and autistic symptoms.

For children that show language, social, or adaptive gains, state Medicaid programs will be able to cover leucovorin in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will launch concurrent trials and new research into the impact of leucovorin including safety studies.    
 
“As a physician, I have seen how devastating autism spectrum disorder can be for children and their families,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said. “Today’s actions represent an unprecedented, comprehensive approach to deepen our understanding of the causes of autism, share what we know and don’t know based on current research, and ensure that every child has a better chance to thrive. By providing access to a drug to treat symptoms associated with autism, we are providing hope to families and providers who have until today had very limited options.”

Step two is an FDA notice to physicians and a warning label on bottles regarding a possible link between acetaminophen (Tylenol and similar products) and autism, specifically tying its use during pregnancy to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists pushed back on this claim, stating that the link between Tylenol use by pregnant women and autism "is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children".

In an official statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautiously sided with President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, saying that doctors should consider limiting the use of Tylenol, while also taking into account that it is the safest over-the-counter option to treat fever and pain in pregnant women, which can also harm maternal and fetal health.

"To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature," the FDA wrote. However, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary fully endorsed the experimental use of leucovorin.

“A growing body of evidence suggests that some children suffering from autism are folate deficient within the brain – a problem that can be treated with leucovorin,” Dr. Makary said. “Given the extent of the current autism epidemic, physicians should immediately have this treatment option available for candidate children. We are also sharing new information about the potential risks of acetaminophen so patients can make a more informed decision with their health care provider.”

The third step is a series of 13 grants totaling $50 million for autism research under the umbrella of the Autism Data Science Initiative.

“Millions of American families who care for autistic kids need scientists to apply gold standard science, expertise, and open minds to figure out how to help these kids,” NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said. “With the Autism Data Science Initiative, NIH is harnessing cutting-edge science to uncover the root causes of autism. We are building knowledge that can improve lives and restore hope for families.”

So, there you have it, folks. An initial three-step strategy for tackling autism… or at least trying to identify its root cause(s) and offering possible treatment options.

You may not agree with President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, Dr. Oz, Dr. Makary, or Dr. Bhattacharya, but at least they are not content with the status quo... unlike their predecessors, who continued to fiddle while Rome burned all around them.

If I were the father of an autistic child, I would want my president and his administration to do exactly what Mr. Trump and his cabinet are doing: leaving no stone unturned looking for answers.

Now, if we can only adopt the same approach for wiping out Alzheimer’s disease, which is skyrocketing in the United States and throughout the world. A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in Nature Medicine found that the risk of developing dementia after age 55 among Americans is now 42 percent, more than double the risk reported by older studies. That dementia risk translates into an estimated half-million cases this year, rising to a million new cases a year by 2060.

Globally, someone develops dementia every 3 seconds. There were more than 55 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2020, a number that is expected to almost double every 20 years, reaching 78 million in 2030 and 139 million by 2050.

Having lost my father-in-law to dementia last year and watching my 96-year-old mother also struggle cognitively, I would love to see President Trump and RFK, Jr. tackle that insidious disease next.