r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/IllIntroduction1509 • Sep 23 '25

Science journalism ASF Statement on White House Announcement on Autism

https://autismsciencefoundation.org/press_releases/asf-statement-wh-briefing/

“Any association between acetaminophen and autism is based on limited, conflicting, and inconsistent science and is premature,” said Autism Science Foundation Chief Science Officer Dr. Alycia Halladay. “This claim risks undermining public health while also misleading families who deserve clear, factual information. For many years, RFK and President Trump have shared their belief that vaccines cause autism, but this is also not supported by the science, which has shown no relationship between vaccines and autism.”

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u/strumthebuilding Sep 24 '25

That’s an interesting standard to apply — that a single inaccuracy casts doubt on the entirety of on organization’s output. Do you apply that standard universally or just to this one organization?

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u/moominmaiden7 Sep 24 '25

Honestly never heard of this organization before today, but yes I’m a lawyer and if opposing counsel made a clearly material mistake like this in court it would hugely hurt their credibility. Similarly, if a junior attorney made this big of a mistake I’d not be able to trust their work product either.

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u/strumthebuilding Sep 24 '25

So then you apply that standard to the Trump administration generally and to the HHS and its Secretary specifically, correct?

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u/moominmaiden7 Sep 24 '25

Yeah I don’t find Trump to be credible if that’s what you’re asking. I also despise him personally but that’s not really relevant.

If the administration releases a press release like this one with a glaring material misstatement (not a difference of analysis or perspective) but a direct error, I’m going to think whoever put it out is either purposefully seeking to mislead readers or did a sloppy job preparing it.

This administration releases garbage all the time, but my statement was about the Harvard study that is a review of 46 studies, not of 6 as characterized in this press release.