TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Monday, Cherie John was playing a game with her son Nathan Lennex on his iPad. He’s 15 years old and has level two autism. When he was just four years old, she found out.
“I was relieved because I felt validated in what I was seeing in him, but on the other hand I was really uncertain,” John said, worried about his future.
On Monday the Trump Administration announced that when pregnant women use acetaminophen, Tylenol’s active ingredient, especially late in their pregnancy, it might cause long-term neurological effects in their children.
While some studies show the autism rate is going up, there are other studies that show the rates are only going up because there is more testing being done and more awareness.
The Trump Administration is continuing to look for the root cause of autism.
During her pregnancy John said she more than likely took Tylenol. However she feels like there isn’t a link between her usage and her son’s autism.
“I wasn’t surprised that that’s what they’re claiming but I don’t believe it,” John said about the announcement.
She feels like the studies the Trump Administration cites were rushed, and skew towards a more negative outlook on autism.
“It makes us feel like somebody’s looking to blame us,” she said.
Studies by brain experts said the Trump Administration’s claims are ignoring years of research into multiple genetic and environmental factors that cause autism.
“If we can figure out what those are, it might help us figure out how to support them better,” John commented.
On Monday the Trump Administration announced the Food and Drug Administration is going to come up with treatment for speech related deficits linked to autism. They also said they’re requiring Tylenol bottles to have a new safety label. In addition, they’re putting more than $50 million towards autism research and how it relates to genetics.
“To all the moms out there who saw this and are now thinking I did this to my child….you didn’t,” John said.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
