Focus on Helping Autistic People, Not Spreading Pseudoscience

 A number of posts have discussed Trump's support for discredited notions about autism 

Challenging Claims of an Autism Epidemic — Misconceptions and a Path Forward

Authors: Tara Eicher, Ph.D., John Quackenbush, Ph.D., and Ari Ne’eman, Ph.D.Published January 17, 2026DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2514250

The history of autism offers many reasons for fraught relationships between clinicians and autistic persons and their families. For decades, the psychiatric and especially psychoanalytic communities relied on psychodynamic theories of the causation of autism that blamed “refrigerator mothers.” It is thus unsurprising that a culture of distrust exists between parents of autistic children and physicians — a distrust that the president only exacerbates when he suggests that physicians are withholding information from families about environmental causes. This rhetoric, specifically the blaming of mothers who use acetaminophen during pregnancy for their children’s impairments, harkens back to past decades. Such rhetoric can cause concrete harms, encouraging expectant mothers to forgo essential treatment for fever and leading parents to turn to an exploitative alternative medicine industry peddling costly pseudoscience that frequently harms autistic people.

Autistic people and their families do deserve answers — not answers involving ill-conceived “causes” and pseudoscientific “cures,” but answers to their aspirations for improved services, medical care, and inclusion in society. Much needs to be done to shift the focus of existing autism-research investments toward issues of immediate relevance to autistic people and their families. Researchers who make this shift can help address the root causes of mistrust that make some parents of autistic people so receptive to pseudoscientific treatments and theories of causation. Unfortunately, the direction the federal government is taking on autism seems calculated to exacerbate the divide.

Research programs can be designed to maximize the benefits for autistic people and their families by studying both causes and the most effective and meaningful services and supports in an appropriate balance. Such a constructive shift will not be accomplished, however, by means of alarmist claims about autism as an epidemic, chasing of ill-supported and debunked theories of causation, and further stigmatizing autism. Instead, it will require building strong, collaborative research programs in which researchers from diverse fields join forces with autistic people and their families to generate lasting change.

Measles Update

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website -- and the CDC itself.

Erika Edwards at NBC:

The South Carolina measles outbreak is growing at an astounding speed.

“Over the last seven to nine days, we’ve had upwards of over 200 new cases. That’s doubled just in the last week,” Dr. Johnathon Elkes, an emergency medicine physician at Prisma Health in Greenville, South Carolina, said during a media briefing Friday. “We feel like we’re really kind of staring over the edge, knowing that this is about to get a lot worse.”

On Friday, the state’s health department said that 124 measles cases had been diagnosed since Tuesday, bringing the state’s total since the outbreak began last fall to 558.

A spokesperson for the South Carolina Health Department said in an email that “eight people, including adults and children, required hospitalization for complications of the disease since the start of the outbreak.” It was unclear how many people are currently hospitalized.

During the Friday briefing, Prisma Health pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Robin LaCroix estimated that 200 people are now “actively infected.”

Melanie Zanona and Brennan Leach at NBC:

President Donald Trump encouraged Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., to primary Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., for his U.S. Senate seat in a post on Truth Social Saturday evening.

"Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!" Trump wrote.

...

NBC News previously reported that the White House has assured Letlow that its support would be there if she chooses to jump into the race. But White House officials didn’t want to get involved too early in the primary for fear of alienating Cassidy, who chairs a key committee and has provided some pivotal votes for the GOP last year — including to confirm Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Cassidy voted to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" and has also been critical of Kennedy. However, Cassidy has not brought Kennedy in for an oversight hearing before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee since May, despite the secretary's promise to appear before the Committee "on a quarterly basis" if requested.

Cassidy invited Kennedy for a hearing to review changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, but the Senator continues to tell NBC News that there is no date set for that hearing to take place.

Lit Review Debunks Trump's Claim about Tylenol and Autism

 A number of posts have discussed Trump's support for discredited notions about autism The Sept 22 White House news conference was a firehose of lies. The next month, he posted an unfounded warning about Tylenol.  RFK then tiptoed away from the idea that it definitely causes autism.  A BMJ lit review debunked the idea.  A Lancet review has now done likewise.

O. Rose Broderick at STAT:

Acetaminophen use during pregnancy is not likely to raise the risk of having a child with autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability, according to a new study published Friday.

Researchers across Europe reexamined evidence from multiple studies investigating the link between these conditions and the use of paracetamol — called acetaminophen in the United States — and found that these purported associations fell apart after controlling for confounding factors.

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, has long been a frontline medication for relieving pain or fever in people who are pregnant. The scientific literature shows that this practice shouldn’t change, said co-author Asma Khalil, obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine professor at St. George’s Hospital, University of London.

“The message really is clear,” said Khalil. “Paracetamol remains a safe option during pregnancy when taken as guided — for the duration that’s needed, with a correct dose.”

Independent health experts praised the study’s methods and conclusions, which diverge sharply from the recommendations offered by President Trump and top health officials in September, when they said that acetaminophen should be used only if absolutely needed during pregnancy and launched a nationwide public information campaign to inform doctors and families of the purported risk. Their announcement came as part of their bid to find the cause of autism, which decades of research has already linked to primarily genetic factors.

The findings of this new study, published in The Lancet, are unlikely to change these recommendations. Health and Human Services officials said the study did not refute claims from other researchers.

 

FDA Deletes Warning About Bogus Autism Treatments

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

The conventional wisdom is that any kind of treatment is likely to be less effective as the child gets older, so parents of autistic children usually believe that they are working against the clock. They will not be satisfied with the ambiguities surrounding ABA, nor will they want to wait for some future research finding that might slightly increase its effectiveness. They want results now. Because there are no scientifically-validated drugs for the core symptoms of autism, they look outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and FDA approval. Studies have found that anywhere from 28 to 54 percent of autistic children receive “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), and these numbers probably understate CAM usage.

A lot of people in RFK Jr's MAHA orbit are making a lot of money from supplements. 

Beth Mole at ArsTechnica:

For years, the Food and Drug Administration provided an informational webpage for parents warning them of the dangers of bogus autism treatments, some promoted by anti-vaccine activists and “wellness” companies. The page cited specifics scams and the “significant health risks” they pose.

But, under anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has numerous ties to the wellness industry—that FDA information webpage is now gone. It was quietly deleted at the end of last year, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to Ars Technica.

The defunct webpage, titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism,” provided parents and other consumers with an overview of the problem. It began with a short description of autism and some evidence-based, FDA-approved medications that can help manage autism symptoms. Then, the regulatory agency provided a list of some false claims and unproven, potentially dangerous treatments it had been working to combat. “Some of these so-called therapies carry significant health risks,” the FDA wrote.

The list included chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, treatments that those in the anti-vaccine and wellness spheres have championed

Measles 2026

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

CDC:

As of January 13, 2026, 171 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 171 measles cases were reported by 9 jurisdictions: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia. A total of 0 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

CIDRAP:

South Carolina health officials yesterday said the state now has 434 measles cases after 124 new cases have been confirmed.

There are currently 409 South Carolinians in quarantine and 17 in isolation, with some quarantines extending to February 6. Mobile vaccine units will be active this week, and officials urge local residents to get vaccinated.

“Vaccination now can avoid long quarantines at home for those exposed to the measles virus. Vaccination within 72 hours of exposure can prevent measles infections,” the state’s department of public health said in its update.

Almost all cases come from the Upstate region in an outbreak centered in Spartanburg County that began in October and has involved exposures at several schools and churches. Spartanburg County is home to several charter schools with a significant number of students with religious exemptions from routine vaccinations.

In South Carolina, religious exemption from vaccination requires a notarized form but not a doctor’s note. One of the schools involved in the initial weeks of the outbreak, Global Academy of South Carolina, had only a 17% vaccination rate during the 2024-25 school year.

Of the 434 measles patients tracked in the past six months, 378 are unvaccinated and 47 have unknown vaccination status. Only six patients have been fully vaccinated, and three have been partially vaccinated. Two-thirds of all measles case-patients in South Carolina are between the ages of 5 and 17 (287 cases).

Masked ICE Agents Manhandle Autistic Woman

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between the justice system and autistic people.  When cops encounter autistic people, they may not respond in the same way as NT people, and things can get out of hand. Among other things, they may misinterpret autistic behavior as aggressive or defiant. Training could help.

From the Autism Society of Minnesota:

On Tuesday, January 13, Minnesota Public Radio shared a story on its social media page showing video of a woman in visible distress as she was pulled from her car, cut from her seatbelt, tackled forcefully, and carried to an unmarked vehicle by four masked ICE agents in South Minneapolis. As she was carried — suspended above the ground by her arms and legs — she can be heard clearly stating: “I am autistic and have a brain injury,” “I am disabled, trying to go to the doctor up there,” “It takes me a second to understand,” and “I am disabled and need accommodations.”

In separate social media videos posted by others, the woman is ultimately identified by name, and civilian reports confirm that she was detained and released by approximately 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. She is confirmed to be a U.S. citizen.

Context from multiple posts and videos indicates that the woman, who is autistic and was driving alone, turned onto a street in South Minneapolis as part of her usual route to her doctor’s office. Based on her statements, it is presumed that she encountered an area heavily occupied by ICE activity but did not deviate from her route. She was subsequently approached by officers who accused her of obstructing their activity with her vehicle.

In addition to widespread concern regarding the tactics demonstrated by ICE agents in this and other known incidents in Minnesota, the Autism Society of Minnesota is deeply troubled by the heightened vulnerability of citizens with autism and other invisible disabilities amid the ongoing tension between community members and ICE.

It is well documented and nationally recognized that autistic individuals, as a direct function of their diagnosis, may experience significant difficulty during interactions with law enforcement due to differences in communication, processing speed, tolerance for the unexpected, and sensory overload—independent of intelligence or intent.

Autistic people are often known to adhere to established routines or plans, despite apparent disruptions, and require additional time to process verbal instructions, particularly when under stress. Some autistic people lose the ability to plan speech or movement when overwhelmed, frightened, or confused. Autistic people are often encouraged by authorities to disclose their disability to law enforcement or emergency responders, who may misinterpret their behavior as defiance.

The woman depicted in the MPR story exhibits numerous indicators of the real and well-documented vulnerabilities that autistic individuals may experience during law enforcement encounters. These vulnerabilities are so widely recognized that the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board requires all licensed peace officers in the state to complete four hours of training focused on recognizing and appropriately supporting autistic individuals to improve safety and community outcomes. Officers must recertify every three years to maintain their licensure.

The interaction observed and recorded between the woman and ICE agents in the MPR story demonstrates no apparent acknowledgment of, or competency in, responding to a disclosed disability or de-escalating an interaction involving a vulnerable individual. Federal immigration agents are not held to, trained in, or motivated by the standards Minnesota expects of law enforcement officers interacting with disabled community members.

The Autism Society of Minnesota is deeply concerned for all autistic individuals, who are statistically estimated to be 7–12 times more likely to encounter law enforcement due to disability-related processing differences. We advise autistic adults and families to exercise extreme caution in areas of ICE activity throughout Minnesota, regardless of any intent to exercise First Amendment rights.

Finally, we call upon our city and state leaders to consider this specific risk — among many others — as ICE continues to perpetuate harm through a range of deeply concerning interactions with diverse members of our community. Our community deserves safety and access to systems informed by best practices.

More States Reject RFK Jr's Vaccine Lunacy

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website -- and the CDC itself.

Liz Szabo at CIDRAP:

A growing number of states are pushing back against sweeping changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an overhaul of the immunization schedule January 5, paring the number of universally recommended immunizations from 17 to 11.

Since then, at least 17 states have announced that they won’t follow new CDC vaccine schedule: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Instead, these states say they plan to follow vaccine guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which continues to recommend immunization plans approved by the CDC prior to the Trump administration.

 ...

Late last week, the AAP and more than 200 health groups sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers “to conduct swift and robust oversight regarding the abrupt changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule.”

Autism Barbie

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss depictions of ASD in popular culture.  In 2022, Mattel, Inc announced  the introduction of Bruno, the first autistic character in the iconic Thomas & Friends franchise.

A release from Mattel:

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) unveiled today its first-ever autistic Barbie doll created with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them. This doll invites more children to see themselves represented in Barbie.

Developed for more than 18 months in partnership with ASAN, a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people that advocates for the rights of the autistic community, this doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas collection, which features the most diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities.

“Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” said Jamie Cygielman, Global Head of Dolls, Mattel. “The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie."

In close collaboration with ASAN, the Barbie design team made intentional design choices for the autistic Barbie doll to authentically reflect some experiences individuals on the autism spectrum may relate to. The autistic Barbie doll features and accessories include: Body: The autistic Barbie doll features elbow and wrist articulation, enabling stimming, hand flapping, and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement.Eye Gaze: The doll is designed with an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side, which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact.Accessories: Each doll comes with a pink finger clip fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet.Fidget Spinner: The doll holds a pink finger clip fidget spinner that actually spins, offering a sensory outlet that can help reduce stress and improve focus.

Headphones: Pink noise-cancelling headphones rest on top of the doll’s head as a helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise.
Tablet: A pink tablet showing symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps (AAC) on its screen serves as a tool to help with everyday communication. Sensory-Sensitive Fashions: The doll wears a loose-fitting, purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact. Purple shoes complete the outfit, with flat soles to promote stability and ease of movement.

“As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll. It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is. Partnering with Barbie allowed us to share insights and guidance throughout the design process to ensure the doll fully represents and celebrates the autistic community, including the tools that help us be independent. We’re honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud.” - Colin Killick, Executive Director, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

As part of the doll launch, Barbie is teaming up with advocates for the autistic community, including mother-daughter duo Precious and Mikko Mirage, autism advocate and creative entrepreneur Madison Marilla, and autistic fashion designer and visual artist Aarushi Pratap, to celebrate their lived experiences and lifestyles. The Barbie team filmed a unique video with them to capture and honor their personal experience with autism and delighted reactions to seeing the autistic Barbie doll for the first time. The video is available to view on the Mattel YouTube channel.

“Dolls have always brought me comfort, stability, and joy. I’ve been collecting Barbie dolls since I was four years old, and now this autistic Barbie will be one of my favorites,” said Madison Marilla, Autism Advocate and Creative Entrepreneur. “My good friend said these words to me, let yourself out and don't hold yourself in, and it taught me how to educate people about autism. This autistic Barbie makes me feel truly seen and heard. I hope all the kids I’ve mentored feel the same when they see her, and I hope people who aren’t autistic feel educated and gain a better understanding of autism when they see this doll.”

Consistent with the Fashionistas dolls representing individuals with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and blindness, the autistic Barbie doll was named and created with the community’s guidance to allow more children to see themselves in Barbie. This doll, along with the entire Fashionistas collection boasts over 175+ looks, can help children better understand the world around them by encouraging doll play outside of a child’s own lived experience. It’s yet another step in making the Barbie brand a more inclusive reflection of the children who play with it.

Building on the importance of feeling understood and connected through play, beginning in 2020, Barbie set out to research the short- and long-term benefits of doll play through a multi-year study with researchers at Cardiff University, finding that playing with dolls activates parts of children’s brains involved in empathy and social processing skills. In recent years, the study has continued to build on these findings, suggesting that doll play could help develop social skills for all children, including those who display neurodivergent traits commonly associated with autism.

To celebrate the launch, Barbie will donate more than 1,000 autistic Barbie dolls to leading pediatric hospitals that provide specialized services for children on the autism spectrum, including Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County. This donation is intended to bring moments of joy, comfort, and representation to the community, reinforcing the power of play to foster connection and confidence.

The autistic Barbie doll is now available on Mattel Shop and from major retailers.

WHO Committee Reaffirms It One More Time: VACCINES DON'T CAUSE AUTISM

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website -- and the CDC itself.

A release from the World Health Organization:

New analysis from a WHO global expert committee on vaccine safety has found that, based on available evidence, no causal link exists between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The conclusion reaffirms WHO’s position that childhood vaccines do not cause autism.

The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), established in 1999, brings together international experts to provide independent and authoritative scientific advice to WHO on global vaccine safety related priorities.

The latest analysis, discussed by the Committee on 27 November 2025, focused first on the relationship between thiomersal-containing vaccines and ASD, and the association between vaccines in general and ASD. Evidence based on 31 primary research studies, published between January 2010 and August 2025, including data from multiple countries, strongly supports the positive safety profile of vaccines used during childhood and pregnancy, and confirms the absence of a causal link with ASD.

The Committee also assessed the review of potential health risks associated with vaccines with aluminum adjuvants, drawing on studies conducted from 1999 through March 2023. In addition, it reviewed a recent large cohort study analyzing nationwide registry data of children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018. In summary, the available high-quality evidence shows no association between the trace amounts of aluminum used in some vaccines and ASD, supporting the ongoing use of vaccines with aluminum adjuvants.

Following its review, GACVS reaffirms its previous conclusions from 2002, 2004 and 2012: vaccines, including those with thiomersal and/or aluminum, do not cause autism.

WHO advises all national authorities to rely on the latest science and ensure vaccine policies are grounded in the strongest available evidence. Global childhood immunization efforts represent one of the greatest achievements in improving lives, livelihoods and the prosperity of societies. During the past 50 years, childhood immunization has saved at least 154 million lives.

Legal Literacy and Section 504

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the civil rights of people with autism and other disabilities. 

Decker, J. R. (2025). Hidden Disabilities: The Urgent Need to Increase Section 504 Legal Literacy. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 0(0). https://doi-org.ccl.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/10442073251393335 

Abstract:

The hidden disabilities of students and staff in schools—which include medical and psychological conditions—have increased. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone in education is well versed in the law that protects them, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). The limited research indicates that teachers, school leaders, and other school employees lack Section 504 legal literacy. This article aims to increase awareness of hidden disabilities by explaining what they are and emphasize their significance through a discussion of anxiety, asthma, and allergies. It also intends to address the problem of the lack of Section 504 legal literacy by answering frequently asked questions about Section 504. University instructors, special education directors, and others are invited to share this relevant legal guidance to increase the legal literacy of their students and coworkers. Overall, this article hopes to ensure that students and employees with disabilities in schools—who are not eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—receive better support and lawsuits are prevented. 

 

Autism Tests

In The Politics of Autism, I explain:

When a pregnancy is under way, doctors can detect certain kinds of disorders, but neither amniocentesis nor any other prenatal test can currently tell us whether a fetus will become autistic. Suppose that such a test did exist. “The best case use of a prenatal test at the moment would be if you could say to a parent, your child has got an 80 percent likelihood of autism and so once the baby's born, we would like to keep a close eye on that child in case they need extra support like speech therapy or social skills training or some sort of behavioral approach,” says leading autism scientist Simon Baron-Cohen. But would the “best case use” be the most common? When amniocentesis indicates Down Syndrome, most mothers choose abortion. A study of autism parents in Taiwan found that just over half would abort if a prenatal test indicated that their next child would be autistic. We cannot be sure what the figures would be if such tests were available in the United States, but it seems likely that a large share of autism pregnancies would end in abortion.

Azeen Ghorayshi at NYT:

Academic research labs across the country are working to find biological markers that can predict whether a child is at risk of developing autism. And companies are rushing to turn the findings into commercial tests, despite limited evidence to back their validity, raising concerns that their results could mislead desperate parents.

They include one test that examines a strand of hair to rule out an autism diagnosis in babies as young as one month old. Two other tests just entered the market. One promises to predict autism risk based on skin cells collected as early as days after birth. Another looks for the presence of certain antibodies in a mother’s blood to determine whether her children, or babies that she might have in the future, are at risk of developing autism.

All the tests are based on autism research by scientists at academic institutions... But the new tests, largely aimed as a screening tool for the general population, are not yet reliable enough to be offered commercially, outside scientists familiar with the tests say, especially in a landscape where families are already inundated with incorrect or unverified information about autism. None of the tests has gone through large experimental trials or had its validity evaluated by a regulatory agency.

...

The new antibody test, which is based on the work of Judy Van de Water, an immunologist at the University of California, Davis, has perhaps the most research behind it of any of the measures.

The test looks for specific antibodies, known as autoantibodies, that mistakenly attack normal cells in a person’s body as if they posed a threat. Dr. Van de Water’s research group has identified eight autoantibodies that cross the placenta during pregnancy and can target proteins involved in fetal brain development.

...

Michael Paul, chief executive of MARAbio, the company selling the new antibody test, said that Dr. Van de Water’s research was based on “a very, very robust data set.”

“I would feel unethical to not bring it forward,” Dr. Paul said, “because we believe this is a test that families should have.”

Dr. Paul said the company hopes to limit the number of false positives by making clear to doctors and patients that the test is not intended as a screening tool for the general population. Instead, the company is marketing the test only to women who already have a child with an autism diagnosis and are deciding whether to have more children, or those who have a child who is exhibiting clinical signs of the disorder. The company is currently validating the test for use in the general population, Dr. Van de Water, who also is the founder of MARAbio, said.

The risk of false positives is also one reason the company is not yet making the test available to pregnant women — a group that Dr. Van de Water said has been asking her for a test like this for years. But the restriction, she added, also allowed the company to sidestep thorny debates about abortion and autism.

“We do not want to go there. And we don’t have to,” Dr. Van de Water added, noting that, unlike common prenatal tests that rely on detecting fetal cells, the antibody test needs only a sample of the mother’s blood on which to base predictions.

Trusting AMA Over CDC

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website -- and the CDC itself.

A December release from the Annenberg Public Policy Center:

In late November 2025, for example, when the CDC website legitimized the discredited link between vaccination and autism, mainstream professional health organizations condemned the changes. Fueling the outcry were two additions to the CDC website, under the leadership of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The first declared that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.” The second alleged that “studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.” These claims now appear as the first two key points in a box at the beginning of the CDC’s Autism and Vaccines page.

“Despite recent changes to the CDC website, an abundance of evidence from decades of scientific studies shows no link between vaccines and autism,” declared an AMA statement. Casting the changes as “reckless and harmful,” the Infectious Diseases Society of America argued that “this change is not driven by science but by politics and will only serve to increase mistrust in science and medicine.” The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics called on the CDC to remove the false information and “stop wasting government resources to amplify false claims …”

To determine what the public is making of the controversy, the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania engaged SSRS to survey a nationally representative sample of 1,006 adults online from November 21-24, 2025. The survey has a margin of error of ±3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey, created by APPC’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute (AHRCI), asks about the public’s confidence that the CDC is providing trustworthy information about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, how people react to conflicting cues about vaccine safety from the AMA and the CDC, and public views about whether vaccines and autism are linked.

The Annenberg survey finds that:

• By a 2-1 margin, the public would be more likely to accept the AMA’s recommendation (35%) on vaccine safety than the CDC’s (16%) if the two bodies issue conflicting recommendations;
• Regardless of party, Americans would accept the AMA’s recommendations on vaccine safety over the CDC’s;
• Half of older Americans age 65+ (50%) would be more likely to accept the AMA’s recommendations on vaccine safety over the CDC’s (13%); the only age group more likely to accept the CDC over the AMA are 18- to 29-year-olds, by 24% to 19%.

Blindsiding CDC Experts

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website -- and the CDC itself.

Lena H. Sun at WP:

Vaccine experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were blindsided by a top deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to unilaterally overhaul the childhood immunization schedule, according to current and former agency staff.

U.S. health officials took the unprecedented action Monday to narrow the list of vaccines that the federal government routinely recommends for all children, a shift that leading public health experts and medical organizations warned could weaken protections against preventable deadly diseases.

...

But the overhaul contradicted guidance from career scientists who prepared a presentation outlining how the U.S. vaccine policy is not an international outlier, according to a copy of the presentation obtained by The Washington Post. Five career scientists and researchers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said they are angered by the bypassing of expertise in Monday’s decision. That process to alter vaccine recommendations, they and several former health officials said, did not include extensive consultation with the agency’s subject matter experts or the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel that is usually done.

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Deputy Health Secretary and acting CDC director Jim O’Neill, who unlike previous CDC directors, is not a scientist, said he signed a decision memo changing the schedule that was presented by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, according to an HHS press release. President Donald Trump, who ordered the review, and Kennedy, a longtime critic of the childhood vaccine schedule, also praised the change.