This week, the Trump administration made headlines again by suggesting a causal link between autism and paracetamol use in pregnancy and promoting leucovorin as a potential treatment. But let’s be clear: there is no scientific consensus behind either of these claims.

Trump has made incorrect claims about the link between paracetamol and autism. Credit: AP

Once again, autism is being used as a political football in a game that leaves families, health professionals and the public misinformed and misled. While we don’t know the exact cause of autism, one thing is certain: science should drive public health decisions, not politics or panic.

To answer the obvious question: no, paracetamol – or acetaminophen – doesn’t cause autism. There is no proven causal link of its use in pregnancy and autism. Some observational studies have found associations between higher paracetamol use during pregnancy and later autism diagnoses in children. Importantly, the evidence only suggests an association, not causation.

Pregnant women who use more paracetamol may be doing so because of other factors. These women are at higher risk of chronic health conditions, infections, and fevers, many of which are themselves known risk factors for neurodevelopmental conditions.

In fact, some researchers have raised the possibility that........

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