Central New York Physician Disputes White House Claims Linking Acetaminophen to Autism
Central New York pediatrician Dr. Robert Dracker of Summerwood Pediatrics has challenged recent assertions linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism, calling them “political pundits who want to play doctor on TV” and “not scientifically-based.” The comments follow a White House declaration tying Tylenol/acetaminophen use to an increased risk of autism and unveiling a new autism action plan.
Dr. Dracker affirmed the safety of acetaminophen for pregnant women, while advising moderation. ”It’s prudent to just say not to use it for more than four weeks and not at high dose on a daily basis,” he stated, recommending consultation with an obstetrician for persistent symptoms.
He emphasized a critical distinction between association and causation. “There is an association, it’s not a causation,” Dr.dracker explained, drawing a parallel to suggest that “breathing can cause autism. Or, that multivitamins that a woman takes during her pregnancy causes autism.” He clarified, “No one has said that acetaminophen causes autism. They found that there’s a possible association, and that needs to be studied to show that there is no direct cause of acetaminophen use with autism in the offspring. That has not been done yet.”
The claims are also being viewed with concern by autism advocates.Aley O’Mara, who lives with autism and works with the Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES) team at SUNY Empire State University, stated that such “preventative and curative announcements” aim to ”eliminate autism, and eliminate autistic people, rather of giving us what we actually need, which are universally-designed supports.” O’Mara added that these announcements “fails to account for the life, the lives that I live as an autistic person, that any autistic person in Central New York, in the U.S., around the world, is already living.”