“Autism Epidemic is Artificially Induced”

Falls Church, VA:  September 22, 2025 – President Donald J. Trump was joined by Secretary of Health Kennedy and four leading HHS medical experts – the NIH Director, the CMS Administrator, the FDA Commissioner, and the Acting Assistant Secretary of Health.  The thrust of the extended press conference was that the epidemic increase in autism rates is not due to better diagnostics, nor an expanded definition, but rather is artificially induced. 

Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced that an all agency approach has been implemented, to gather the data from all sources of known and suspected causal factors in autism, as well as solutions.  The first evidence-based confirmed cause was announced (Acetaminophen) as well as the evidence-based solution (leucovorin) to be officially approved for autism.

President Trump started the press event by sharing that he has been concerned about the causes of autism since first meeting Secretary Kennedy some 20 years ago.  The President reiterated at least three times during the event his own opinions, calling for parents to spread their shots out, to split the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines back up into single disease shots – citing his understanding this would reduce risks.  He also suggested that the Hepatis B vaccine should be delayed to 12 years of age because there is typically no reason to give an infant a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease.  He also reiterated that pregnant women should avoid acetaminophen during pregnancy and that infants should also not be given acetaminophen.  President Trump stated that ending the autism epidemic during his administration is as important to him as ending the 7 wars he has helped end.  He recounted knowing several mothers of children who developed autism after their vaccines.  The President was not speaking out against vaccines, he was speaking about giving one vaccine at a time.  For families who heed the suggestion, there will be a delay and cooperation required by CDC to order these shots from the manufacturers who stopped making single antigen vaccines 25 years ago when this was initially suggested.   

Secretary Kennedy promised the American public that the agency was going to do a deep dive into existing data from all available sources and will make public what is known about all the potential causes of autism spectrum disorders. 

The last Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network study conducted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided that among 8-year-olds in the United States, 1 in 31 are on the Autism Spectrum. Boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed on the spectrum than girls.   A cooperative effort with the Directors of NIH, FDA, and the CMS Administrator has been  evaluating existing data, peer reviewed information, and consultation with experts and parents.  The promise has been radical transparency and an accelerated sharing of information with the public.

Dorothy Fink, MD, Acting Assistant Secretary for Health and a women’s health scholar, noted the evidence is substantial to caution women not to take acetaminophen during pregnancy unless unavoidable, and if absolutely necessary to take as low a dose as possible for as short a duration as feasible.

FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary announced the agency has initiated the process for a label  change.  Given that evidence in recent years has suggested a correlation between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of conditions like autism and ADHD. Multiple large-scale cohort studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Boston Birth Cohort, find this association. Some studies have described that the risk may be most pronounced when acetaminophen is taken chronically throughout pregnancy.  FDA also reminded the public that aspirin and ibuprofen have well-documented adverse impacts on the fetus when taken by women during pregnancy.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. announced the National Institutes of Health has launched the Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI), a landmark research effort that will harness large-scale data resources to explore contributors to the causes and rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. More than $50 million in awards will support 13 pioneering projects that draw on genomic, epigenomic, metabolomic, proteomic, clinical, behavioral and autism services data. These projects will integrate, aggregate and analyze existing data resources, generate targeted new data and validate findings through independent replication hubs.  He stated, “By bringing together genetics, biology, and environmental exposures, we are opening the door to breakthroughs that will deepen our understanding of autism and improve lives.” 

A key feature of ADSI is the use of exposomics—the comprehensive study of environmental, medical, and lifestyle factors in combination with genetics and biology. Projects will investigate a wide range of influences, including environmental contaminants such as pesticides and air pollutants, maternal nutrition and diet, perinatal complications, psychosocial stress, and immune responses during pregnancy and early development.

Addressing Vertebral Subluxations in Autism Population:  Many families turn to doctors of chiropractic to help pick up the pieces when their child develops autism. ICA firmly believes that our chiropractors – those focused on identifying and eliminating vertebral subluxations are integral partners of the solution to this epidemic of suffering.

ICA Executive Director, Beth Clay, who formerly served as staff-lead on the Congressional investigation that identified the epidemic increase in autism stated, “Autism is a complex multifactorial condition with a spectrum of intensity.  The children on the front end of the epidemic, injured in the late 1980s are now middle-aged adults. It is imperative that the NIH include individuals of all ages and all levels of severity in their studies.  Autism is a chronic health condition that is unique to each individual and requires a comprehensive team effort of health care professionals working together. Regular evaluation for subluxations and chiropractic adjustments should become an integral component of a personalized, whole person, evidence-informed care protocol to be studied in real time for clinical benefit and daily quality of life improvement.”   

Dr. Joe Betz, ICA President stated, “The best available research on the topic has demonstrated an association between environmental factors, including acetaminophen use during pregnancy, and the development of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It’s time for the American health care system to incorporate natural health care options including chiropractic care as the first approach and avoid the use of dangerous drugs.”

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