The Trump Administration Announces Major Autism Action, Here Are the Details

Liputan6.com, Jakarta On September 22, 2025, the Trump administration made a series of significant announcements focused on addressing autism.

These steps were taken in response to the increasing prevalence of autism in the United States, which now affects 1 in 31 American children.

"Today we're delighted to be joined by America's top medical and public health professionals as we announce historic steps to confront the crisis of autism," said Trump. 

Speaking from the White House on Monday, the president said that Tylenol taken during pregnancy "can be associated with a very increased risk of autism." 

"The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history. There's never been anything like this," he said. 

President Donald J. Trump, @SecKennedy, @DrOzCMS, @NIHDirector_Jay, & @DrMakaryFDA announce the Autism Action Plan. Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/1inEvIecYU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 22, 2025

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken the first step toward approving leucovorin calcium tablets, according to Politico.

This medication is intended for patients with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), a neurological condition that disrupts folate transport to the brain.

Individuals with CFD often exhibit developmental delays accompanied by autistic features, such as difficulties with social communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors.

This approval will establish leucovorin as the first FDA-approved therapy for children with CFD and autistic symptoms.

Leucovorin's labeling changes will allow its use in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with the condition that continued use is warranted if they demonstrate significant improvement in language, social, or adaptive skills.

Following this label update, state Medicaid programs will be able to cover the cost of leucovorin for ASD, in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

While promising, leucovorin is not a cure-all for ASD.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will launch confirmatory trials and new research on the effects of leucovorin, including safety studies, because the drug may only bring improvement in speech-related deficits for a small proportion of children with ASD.

The Trump administration has also raised serious concerns regarding the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, by pregnant women.

"Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism," the president said.

"So, taking Tylenol is not good, alright? I'll say it. It's not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary."  

In response, the FDA will update the acetaminophen label to reflect this potential risk and will provide information to physicians regarding the possible link to autism.

Physicians will be advised to advise patients to limit acetaminophen use during pregnancy unless absolutely medically necessary.

This claim is based on previous research, including a review published in the journal Environmental Health, which examined the association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including ASD and ADHD.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the FDA based its decision on acetaminophen on "clinical and laboratory studies" that "suggest a potential association between acetaminophen used during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes," including one study in the public health journal Environmental Health, but added that "NIH [National Institutes of Health] research teams are currently testing multiple hypotheses."

Of the 46 eligible studies, 27 reported a significant association with NDDs.

However, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stated that the link between Tylenol and autism "deserves further study".

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has officially launched the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI) with over $50 million in funding.

This funding will support 13 innovative research projects aimed at strengthening and transforming the national autism research portfolio.

The initiative is designed to leverage large-scale data resources to explore contributors to the causes and increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorders.

Funded projects will integrate, aggregate, and analyze existing data resources, as well as generate new, targeted data.

One of the key features of ADSI is the use of exposomics, the comprehensive study of environmental, medical, and lifestyle factors combined with genetics and biology.

This approach will allow researchers to investigate a wide range of influences.

The research will include environmental contaminants such as pesticides and air pollutants, maternal nutrition and diet, perinatal complications, psychosocial stress, and immune responses during pregnancy and early development.

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-autism-tylenol-medical-experts/

https://www.newsweek.com/leucoverin-autism-medication-trump-announcement-tylenol-2133978

https://tacanow.org/family-resources/leucovorin-for-autism/