UW doctor disputes causal link between Tylenol and autism
Sep 23, 2025, 6:07 PM | Updated: 6:08 pm
President Donald Trump announced during a press conference Monday that the use of acetaminophen—also known as Tylenol—during pregnancy may contribute to rising autism rates in newborns. Trump explained women should avoid taking acetaminophen during pregnancy.
Dr. Michelle Terry, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, clarified the difference between association and causation in relation to Trump’s statement that Tylenol may contribute to elevated autism rates.
“Starting in the early 2000’s, there were some large-scale studies that began identifying possible associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes,” Terry said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “There is a difference between an association, meaning two things are happening in proximity, and causation, meaning one thing causes another thing. There has not been any proven causation that acetaminophen causes any neurodevelopmental difficulties or differences.”
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.
