By Khushi Srivastava

Copyright republicworld

Many doctors and scientists felt shocked on Monday when President Donald Trump appeared on TV, insisting that pregnant women must never take Tylenol and bringing back debunked theories about vaccines and autism.Trump dismissed his own Food and Drug Administration’s cautious advice that doctors “should consider minimising” the use of the painkiller acetaminophen in pregnancy, given the unclear evidence about whether excessive use might be linked to autism in children. At the same time, his administration pushed to make a possible but unproven autism treatment more widely available and announced additional research into the disorder.Autism is not a disease. It is a complex developmental condition, commonly called autism spectrum disorder, which affects each person differently.It may cause delays in language, learning, or social and emotional skills. In some cases, severe autism can result in being nonverbal and having intellectual disabilities, but most people experience much milder effects.According to AP, there are two main reasons for the rise. First, the definition of autism has widened as scientists have learned more about its diverse traits and symptoms. This led to updated criteria for doctors diagnosing autism and improved screening methods. At the same time, more parents sought a diagnosis as awareness of autism grew and schools began offering educational support they hoped would benefit their children.According to AP, until the 1990s, only children with the most severe symptoms were identified as having autism. By the early 2000s, as the definition broadened, the autism rate was estimated at 1 in 150 children. The latest figures show that about 1 in 31 children now fall on the autism spectrum.“The increase isn’t among the profound cases; it’s an increase in the milder cases that weren’t historically considered autism,” said Helen Tager-Flusberg, an expert from Boston University. Autism has no single test and is mostly diagnosed through developmental and behavioural assessments, making it difficult to determine whether other factors are contributing to the rise.According to the reports, research shows that autism mainly stems from genetics, with hundreds of genes identified as influential. These genes can be passed down even if the parent does not display any signs of autism, or they can mutate during brain development when rapidly dividing cells make errors.Experts explain that various combinations of genes and other factors influence fetal brain development. These factors include the father’s age, premature birth, and maternal health issues during pregnancy, such as fevers, infections, or diabetes.Also Read: Why Is Leucovorin Being Considered as an Autism Treatment?