TWIN FALLS, Idaho — President Trump's announcement linking autism to acetaminophen use during pregnancy has sparked mixed reactions from Magic Valley parents and medical professionals, with some calling for more focus on supporting families already affected by autism.
"I'm seeing that a lot with moms — especially when your child's first diagnosed, that's a big thing, [saying] 'what did I do? What could I have done differently?'" Denae Hope told Idaho News 6.
SEE: Local reactions to Trump's acetaminophen/autism announcement
Denae Hope, who has been raising a child with autism for 10 years, watched Trump's announcement live on Monday. She said the claims linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism aren't new to the autism community.
"I feel like they aren't taking it very seriously just because I feel like the things that they brought up were things that I'm sure people in the autism community have been hearing for years and years, and are things that have been disproven through a lot of studies," Hope said.
Hope, whom I met through the Magic Valley Autism Parents Discussion and Support Group on Facebook, said she wishes the same energy being put into identifying autism causes would go toward supporting families already dealing with autism.
"There is a lot of that comes with having a child with special needs," said Hope. "We have extra IEP meetings, doctors appointments, therapy appointments we have all of these other things and then there's not a lot of time usually for the parents to be able to kind of have their own nights too. So, I think as far as being caretakers— I think it would be really helpful to support a lot of the caretakers," Hope said.
The announcement also prompted questions about medication safety during pregnancy. Chris Johnson, owner and pharmacist at Kurt's Pharmacy in Twin Falls, said the announcement isn't yet cause for alarm.
"I haven't read enough good evidence yet that says it can cause [autism]. There have been some articles saying they could potentially be related to it, but there are also other factors: amelial factors, genetics, things like that that we don't quite know the correct answer to yet," Johnson said.
"Yes, I think a lot more studies will be needed to see if we can determine if taking Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism," Johnson said.
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Johnson said it's always wise for pregnant people to be cautious about what they consume, but emphasized that treating illness during pregnancy is sometimes necessary.
"It's not a bad idea to try to limit your medication if you're pregnant, at least the amount of medication," explained Johnson."If you have a fever, if you're sick, if you're in a lot of pain— it might be worse for the baby if you don't treat it, so you still need to do something. So, I won't be afraid of it," Johnson said.
Hope said the announcement brings up familiar feelings of self-doubt that many parents with autistic children experience when their child is first diagnosed.
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