When Ableism Supplants Evidence: Federal Autism Guidance in the United States

Aguirre Mtanous N. G. Koenig J. Nikahd M. Effertz S. E. Silinonte S. Hyer J. M. Hand B. N. Bishop L. (2026). Mental health outcomes associated with applied behavior analysis in a US national sample of privately insured autistic youth. Autism, 30, 484–494. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251390604

Alonso-Coello P. Schünemann H. J. Moberg J. Brignardello-Petersen R. Akl E. A. Davoli M. Treweek S. Mustafa R. A. Rada G. Rosenbaum S. Morelli A. Guyatt G. H. Oxman A. D. ; GRADE Working Group. (2016). GRADE Evidence to Decision (EtD) frameworks: A systematic and transparent approach to making well informed healthcare choices. BMJ, 353, i2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i2016

Anderson L. K. (2023). Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis. Autism, 27(3), 737–750. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221118216

Autistic Self Advocacy Network. (2025, April 10). Trump and Kennedy spouting dangerous autism misinformation. https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/trump-and-kennedy-spouting-dangerous-autism-misinformation/

Bottema-Beutel K. (2023). We must improve the low standards underlying “evidence-based practice”. Autism, 27(2), 269–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221146441

Bottema-Beutel K. Crowley S. Sandbank M. Woynaroski T. G. (2021). Adverse event reporting in intervention research for young autistic children. Autism, 25(2), 322–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320965331

Bottema-Beutel K. Kapp S. K. Sasson N. Gernsbacher M. A. Natri H. Botha M. (2023). Anti-ableism and scientific accuracy in autism research: A false dichotomy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, Article 1244451. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244451

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, November 19). Autism and vaccines: Questions and concerns. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism.html

Dawson M. Fletcher-Watson S. (2022). When autism researchers disregard harms: A commentary. Autism, 26(2), 564–566. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211031403

Dreier J. W. Andersen A. M. N. Berg-Beckhoff G. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analyses: Fever in pregnancy and health impacts in the offspring. Pediatrics, 133(3), e674–e688. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-3205

Egloff C. Sibiude J. Couffignal C. Mandelbrot L. Picone O. (2020). Causes and consequences of fever during pregnancy: A retrospective study in a gynaecological emergency department. Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction, 49(9), 101899.

Faust J. S. Barnett M. L. (2026). Changes in paracetamol and leucovorin use after a White House briefing. The Lancet, 407, 1051–1053. https://https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00243-6

Fielding S. (2026). FDA approves leucovorin—but not for autism, despite Trump hype. The BMJ, 392, s485. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s485

Garcia E. (2025, August 25). ‘Horror show’: RFK Jr. And Trump fearmonger about autism in marathon cabinet meeting while research is axed behind the scenes. Independent. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/rfk-jr-trump-autism-research-b2814520.html

Gostin L. O. (2025). The Trump presidency: Cascading global shocks on global health. PLOS Global Public Health, 5(11), Article e0005385. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0005385

Gulati S. Sharawat I. K. Panda P. K. Kothare S. V. (2025). The vaccine–autism connection: No link, still debate, and we are failing to learn the lessons. Autism, 29(7), 1639–1645. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251345281

Kapp S. K. Steward R. Crane L. Elliott D. Elphick C. Pellicano E. Russell G. (2019). ‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults’ views and experiences of stimming. Autism, 23(7), 1782–1792. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628

The Lancet. (2026). Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure. The Lancet, 407(10531), 825.

Lang K. (2025). Trump’s claims on Tylenol (paracetamol), vaccines, and autism– what’s the truth? BMJ, 390, r2025. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r2025

Lloreda C. L. (2026, February 3). Largest leucovorin-autism trial retracted. The Transmitter. https://www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/largest-leucovorin-autism-trial-retracted/

Lobo R. A. (2017). Hormone-replacement therapy: Current thinking. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 13(4), 220–231.

Lovaas O. I. Schriebman L. Koegel R. L. (1974). A behavior modification approach to the treatment of autistic children. Journal of Autism and Child Schizophrenia, 4(2), 111–128.

Mandavilli A. (2026, March 16). Judge strikes down Kennedy’s vaccine policies. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/health/childhood-vaccines-lawsuit-kennedy.html

May H. Blakeney A. Shrestha P. Mazal M. Kennedy N. (2024). Long-term impacts of reading recovery through 3rd and 4th grade: A regression discontinuity study. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 17(3), 433–458.

McConachie H. Livingstone N. Morris C. Beresford B. Le Couteur A. Gringras P. Garland D. Jones G. Madonald G. Williams K. Parr J. R. (2018). Parents suggest which indicators of progress and outcomes should be measured in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Development, 48, 1041–1051.

O’Matz M. (2026, February 18). Chlorine dioxide, raw camel milk: The FDA no longer warns against these and other ineffective autism treatments. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/rfk-jr-fda-removes-autism-treatments-warning

Orinstein A. J. Helt M. Troyb E. Tyson K. E. Barton M. L. Eigsti I. M. Naigles L. Fein D. A. (2014). Intervention for optimal outcome in children and adolescents with a history of autism. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 35(4), 247–256.

Panda P. K. Sharawat I. K. Saha S. Gupta D. Palayullakandi A. Meena K. (2026). Retraction note: Efficacy of oral folinic acid supplementation in children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. European Journal of Pediatrics, 185, 109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-026-06769-x

Pant S. (2025). AAP: Leucovorin not recommended for autism. JAMA, 334, 2061. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.19739

Raising Children Network. (2026). Chelation. https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/chelation

Rossignol D. A. Frye R. E. (2021). Cerebral folate deficiency, folate receptor alpha autoantibodies and leucovorin (folinic acid) treatment in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 11(11), 1141.

Sandbank M. Bottema-Beutel K. LaPoint S. C. Feldman J. I. Barrett D. J. Caldwell N. Dunham K Crank J. Albarran S. Woynaroski T. (2023). Autism intervention meta-analysis of early childhood studies (Project AIM): Updated systematic review and secondary analysis. BMJ, 383, Article e076733.

Scott J. (2026, January 6). RFK Jr. guts the US childhood vaccine schedule despite its decades-long safety record. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/rfk-jr-guts-the-us-childhood-vaccine-schedule-despite-its-decades-long-safety-record-272788

Seitz A. (2026, February 13). RFK Jr. made promises to get his job as health secretary. He’s broken many of them. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/02/13/nx-s1-5712721/rfk-jr-children-vaccines-cdc-funding-autism-immunizations

Shattock P. (2006, December 6). Bernard Rimland: Parent and practitioner revolutionising the treatment of autism. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/dec/06/guardianobituaries.mainsection

Sinha Y. Silove N. Williams K. (2006). Chelation therapy and autism. BMJ, 333(7571), 756.

Sulek R. Edwards C. Monk R. Patrick L. Pillar S. Waddington H. (2025). Community priorities for outcomes targeted during professional supports for autistic children and their families. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55, 1890–1901.

Tanne J. H. (2026). RFK Jr names anti-vaccine members to federal autism committee. BMJ, 392, s216.

Taylor L. Looi M.-K. (2026). Measles in America: US set to lose elimination status after cases soar. BMJ, 362, s391. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s391

The White House (2025, September 22). Fact: Evidence suggests link between acetaminophen, autism. https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2025/09/fact-evidence-suggests-link-between-acetaminophen-autism/

Theriault A. (2015, February 5). Vaccines don’t cause autism, but that’s not the point. Stop being ableist. The Belle Jar. https://bellejar.ca/2015/02/05/vaccines-dont-cause-autism-but-thats-not-the-point-stop-being-ableist/

United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2025, September 22). Autism announcement fact sheet. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/autism-announcement-fact-sheet.html

United States Federal Drug Administration. (2014, April 15). Beware of false or misleading claims for treating autism. https://web.archive.org/web/20140715154846/http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm394757.htm?source=govdelivery

Whitehouse A. J. Varcin K. J. Pillar S. Billingham W. Alvares G. A. Barbaro J. Bent C. A. Blenkley D. Boutrus M. Chee A. Chetcuti L. Clark A. Davidson E. Dimov S. Dissanayake C. Doyle J. Grant M. Green C. C. Harrap M. . . .Hudry K. (2021). Effect of preemptive intervention on developmental outcomes among infants showing early signs of autism: A randomized clinical trial of outcomes to diagnosis. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(11), Article e213298.

Xu G. Strathearn L. Liu B. O’Brien M. Kopelman T. G. Zhu J. Snetselaar L. G. Bao W. (2019). Prevalence and treatment patterns of autism spectrum disorder in the United States, 2016. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(2), 153–159.

Yang Y. T. (2025). The perils of RFK Junior’s anti-vaccine leadership for public health. The Lancet, 405(10473), 122.