Autism advocates are blasting President Donald Trump’s announcement this week as “dehumanizing” and “dangerous” as he and members of his administration framed cases of the condition as a “horrible, horrible crisis.”Advocacy organizations, including the Autism Society of America and the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, stressed that the administration’s statements linking Tylenol use during pregnancy with autism helped spread unproven claims while stigmatizing people who are autistic. “Our Council of Autistic Advisors shared that the language and tone of the press conference caused profound hurt across the Autism community,” the Autism Society of America said in a statement. “To describe an individual as being at the heart of a ‘horrible, horrible crisis’ that is ‘destroying families’ is not only inaccurate, it is dehumanizing and dangerous.”Comments from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describing autistic people also drew criticism, as well as the suggestion that mothers could be blamed for their children having autism. “For decades, autism has been explained through scapegoating mothers ― cold parenting, wrong feeding, wrong choices, wrong medical decisions,” Sara Rodrigues, Executive Director of Balanced Learning Center, a nonprofit that works on therapies for autistic people, told USA Today. “The targets shift, but the underlying message is the same… autism is your fault, and you should feel guilty.”Advocates called for increased investment in research and a focus on inclusive education and health care policies. The White House has told NPR that the announcement this week included two parents of children with autism, who “praised President Trump for actually listening to the questions and concerns of parents across the country ― questions and concerns that this President and Administration remain committed to addressing.”Colin Killick, the executive director of ASAN, told NPR, “This administration talks so much about autism. It seems to care very little about autistic people.”Close