By Professor Dawn Adams – 2 min read.
The Trump administration’s claim to have found both the cause and a treatment for autism, blaming the use of painkillers in pregnancy and promoting an unproven therapy, marks a deeply concerning moment for science and public health.
For Autistic people and their families, this announcement has (understandably) caused a lot of emotions. As a researcher, clinician and neurodivergent person myself, I have spent decades working with the community to increase our understanding of Autism and Autism-specific supports. From this, I know how essential it is to unpack these claims with the right mix of scientific clarity and compassion if we are to ensure a commitment to evidence-based understanding.
What the research has uncovered.
A few years ago, I led a team that found and analysed all the research that had asked autistic people and those who love or support them what we should prioritise in autism research. This reported on the views of 10,541 people including 984 Autistic adults, 6,476 family members and 2,595 professionals. The message was clear: the future of Autism research is not about cures, treatments or causes.
People who know autism the best have told us to prioritise research that improves Autistic people’s daily life. They want us to do research that helps Autistic people thrive through greater acceptance, better understanding and the right supports.
A troubling turn in Autism discourse.
Recent headlines suggesting leucovorin as a “treatment” for autism or linking paracetamol use in pregnancy to autism are also a cause for great concern.
Firstly, the research in this area is poor quality and not at the level that we would expect when making recommendations for approvals. It is also worrying because such statements impact how people understand and perceive autism.
The claims are built on weak or inconsistent evidence – but more than that, they risk sending a harmful message. Framing autism as something to “treat” or “cause” fuels stigma, leaves families feeling blamed and positions Autistic people as problems to fix rather than people to value.
Autism is not something that needs to be cured, it’s a neurodevelopmental difference.
We need to be very clear; Autism is not an illness. It’s a neurotype: a way of thinking, learning and experiencing the world. Rising prevalence rates don’t reflect an “epidemic”, they reflect our slow progress in recognising and embracing neurodiversity across different ages, profiles and life stages.
Imagine if the large sums invested in searching for cures were redirected into evidence-based supports; changing acceptance and understanding in schools, creating workplaces that are truly inclusive, building communities that respect sensory and communication differences.
Imagine if the energy spent responding to these announcements based on shaky science went instead into shaping policies grounded in robust research.
As researchers, we must speak clearly. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition shaped by genetic and multifactorial influences, not political soundbites or oversimplified narratives.
Autistic people deserve more than scary headlines.
The Autistic community deserves a world that understands autism, adapts to autistic profiles, values autistic ways of being and celebrates autism as a part of human diversity.
What really makes a difference is the right support: inclusive classrooms, workplaces that adapt to needs, communities that understand communication and sensory differences, and policies shaped by quality research. These are the things that help Autistic people thrive. These are the changes that governments have the opportunity to create. These are the changes that together, we can make happen.
