WACO, Texas (KXXV) — President Donald Trump warns pregnant women against Tylenol, claiming a link to autism. Local mothers with children on the autism spectrum are sharing their experiences with 25 News.
- President Donald Trump warned pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, claiming acetaminophen could cause autism
- Two local Waco mothers with children on the autism spectrum shared different experiences - one never took Tylenol during pregnancy but still had a child with autism, while the other did take Tylenol and her child was later diagnosed with autism.
- Former CDC Director Dr. Demetre Daskalakis says there is no evidence to support Trump's claims about the Tylenol-autism link.
You can watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
President Donald Trump is warning pregnant women to avoid taking Tylenol, claiming acetaminophen could cause autism. Two local mothers with children on the spectrum spoke with 25News for their perspective on the latest developments.
Adeline Castaneda is a board member on the Heart of Texas Autism Network and she has a son who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2-years-old.
"He looks like just another teenage boy, just another teenage boy but once you get to talking to him, you realize there's an issue, you realize there's something different about him," Castaneda said.
"I did the research, what did I eat, was there something I did wrong, was I taking something that I shouldn't have been taking, and nothing pointed that would lead to his autism," Castaneda said.
Her friend Sara Garcia, also on the board of the Heart of Texas Autism Network, has a child on the autism spectrum as well.
"I have a little boy who is on the spectrum, he was diagnosed when he was 3 or 4," Garcia said.
25 News reporter Dominique Leh met with both mothers to talk about the announcement from President Trump, warning pregnant women of a link between acetaminophen and autism.
"But with Tylenol, don't take it, don't take it!" Trump said.
Despite the president's comments, the former director of the CDC Dr. Demetre Daskalakis says there is no evidence to support these new claims.
"The paper that I saw said that there's an association and people should be cautious using Tylenol, that's nothing new, OBGYNs have always told their patients to be cautious of using any drug, including acetaminophen," Dr. Demetre Daskalakis said.
When reporter Dominique Leh asked Castaneda about her reaction to Trump's information, she was surprised.
"I was like what? I was kinda shocked," Castaneda said. "I didn't take Tylenol, or pain relievers with any of my children during pregnancies and he was the only one that developed autism."
Garcia, however, did take Tylenol during her pregnancy.
"I don't know the validity of certain claims, to simply state that it does, with me I couldn't tell you yes or no, because I had one that didn't," Garcia said.
Garcia said for new mothers who are unsure about medications, do your own research to find what's best for you.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
