Overview
- At a Sept. 22 White House briefing, President Trump cited the Amish while asserting some groups have no autism and urged pregnant people to avoid Tylenol.
- The World Health Organization and leading medical groups say there is no credible evidence that vaccines or acetaminophen cause autism.
- A preliminary 2010 screening of 1,899 Amish children in Ohio and Indiana identified autism at about 1 in 271, with researchers cautioning that cultural factors affect reporting.
- Experts including Braxton Mitchell, Alycia Halladay and Steven Nolt say autism exists in Amish communities and that documented rates likely reflect underdiagnosis and access barriers.
- Studies show many Amish families vaccinate at least partially and use common medicines such as Tylenol, undercutting claims that avoidance explains autism rates.