Thalia Baudin raised her arms in victory as she took in every word that was spoken at this week’s presidential news conference about how the administration will tackle the autism epidemic.

The warnings and information presented have been circulating in autism circles for the past two decades as the rate of autism has skyrocketed from one in 150 children to one in 31. Baudin told The Epoch Times that the information hit differently, however, when she heard President Donald Trump urge women to avoid taking acetaminophen if at all possible in pregnancy—and to delay or spread out vaccines.

Perhaps, she noted, if someone with authority had offered her the same advice, her son, Lance Seggelink, now 20, wouldn’t have regressed as a child and continue to this day to struggle. He was diagnosed with the most severe form of autism 17 years ago.

“I have my issues with Trump. I do. But I am so grateful that somebody is listening and paying attention,” Baudin said. “That’s all any of us have really asked for over these years. ... ‘Please listen to us, and let’s try to figure this out.’”

Some say—if handled judiciously—asking serious questions about the cause of autism could mark a turning point in what has been an otherwise sluggish inquiry into statistics that continue to befuddle the nation.

Novel Perspective

Those who are celebrating Trump’s statements say they represent a new approach to autism not seen before in government circles.

Specifically, the government announced that it is issuing a warning for acetaminophen use in pregnant women because of its association with unfavorable neurological outcomes in babies. It is also updating the label of the drug leucovorin so that it can be used for children with autism.

“I hope this is a turning point so that they start actually viewing autism as a medical epidemic in children that started in the early ‘90s, because that’s exactly what it is,” Dr. Armen Nikogosian, who specializes in pediatric special needs, told The Epoch Times.

“It’s got psychiatric symptoms. It is not a psychiatric condition. It’s a medical condition with distinct medical abnormalities that we objectively find in these kids over and over and over again.”

Autism is considered a condition of neurodevelopmental differences that fall into two categories: difficulties with social communication and interaction, and behaviors that are repetitive or restrictive.

The medical focus has largely been on symptom control, which Nikogosian said can be helpful in short-term management of behavior. Research has discovered up to 1,000 genes that put a child at risk for autism, but none has led to breakthroughs in prevention or treatment.

Besides genetic factors, researchers have identified potential environmental risk factors, including maternal obesity and diabetes, prenatal infections, exposure to air pollution, pesticides, and certain medications.

More Complex Than Meets the Eye

What causes autism for one child may be entirely different for another.

Laura Cellini’s son received a diagnosis of severe to moderate autism at age 27 months. She said that after a series of routine childhood vaccination, her son regressed significantly.

Years later, the family learned that Jonathan had primary immunodeficiency, a condition in which those vaccines are contraindicated.

“Jonathan was exceptionally vulnerable, and no one recognized it,” Cellini said. “Unfortunately, our story is not that unique. Many children with autism have underlying medical or biological vulnerabilities that can impact their developmental trajectory and response to environmental factors.”

Formerly a lobbyist who has helped write autism legislation in Illinois, including the nation’s first law to recognize that many people with autism have underlying medical issues, Cellini is working with federal policymakers and top-tier autism researchers to redefine autism with biological subtypes.

Looking at autism through a novel lens could expedite help for families who want solutions for their grown children. Parents such as Cellini and Baudin want parents to have access to alternative treatments and information that they say helped their sons move the needle on their symptoms.

While autism cases are rising, statistics tell a different story. The increase isn’t because of the diagnosis of more higher-functioning children.

Cases of those with higher IQs have decreased, while nearly two-thirds of children with autism spectrum disorder had severe autism or borderline intellectual disability.

Easing Financial Burdens

The recognition of leucovorin for autism treatment could help families access coverage for what has been an out-of-pocket expense. This could open the future possibility for the coverage of other therapies.

Families with autistic children often face steep expenses for therapies—something that Ginger Taylor knows firsthand.

Ginger’s son, Chandler, began regressing at 18 months old. The cost of trying to get your child’s health back is expensive, she said. “We pay for it all ourselves,” Taylor told The Epoch Times. “We lost a house early on just trying to pay for his treatments that were helping him.”

In addition to changing her son’s diet, she said, they used chelation therapy to help his body rid itself of heavy metals, magnetic resonance therapy that regulates brain waves, supplements, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. She’d love to see these treatments accessible for families with autistic children.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the new approach breaks down silos between federal agencies. “The president has committed new funding, demanded urgency, and directed us to act—not in decades—but now,” he told The Epoch Times in an email.

A Tempered Response Is Needed

The complex nature of autism has created a response that is as uncertain as the disorder itself, and the divisive nature of the disorder has likely kept previous administrations from being as bold about tackling the epidemic, Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh, an integrative pediatrician, told The Epoch Times.

The first U.S. law that focused on autism—research, early screening, awareness, and services—was the 2006 Combating Autism Act, which was reauthorized and expanded in 2014 as the Autism CARES Act.

The Sept. 22 announcement also included a new initiative to fund projects examining environmental, nutritional, medical, and social factors in conjunction with genetics. They will include efforts to align research with the needs of the autistic community.

Warsh said it offers a challenge to follow along as data emerge, stay evidence-anchored, and initiate patient-centered conversations.

It’s important for doctors to be honest about what is known and unknown, weigh acetaminophen risks on an individual basis, and share decision-making on medication and vaccine timing with patients—in the confines of guidelines—all while monitoring each patient closely, he said.

Hope for the Future?

There are many potential explanations for why autism has remained a stagnant issue, Warsh said, including the fragmentation of agencies and the number of signals involved in autism, alongside a lack of definitive causes. It’s also a politically sensitive topic, filled with contentious debates.

Past administrations dismissed and downplayed the autism epidemic, convincing parents that patterns were caused by improved diagnostics while ignoring environmental causes and biological changes, Oz said.

This could be an inflection point, Warsh said, if it results in credible studies and a firewall between politics and research along with a willingness to publish study results regardless of findings.

“If not, it’ll be remembered as a noisy moment that deepened mistrust without moving the evidence forward,” he said. “A turning point isn’t a press event. It’s a funding mechanism plus study designs that survive peer review and replication.”

Nikogosian is optimistic based on the sincerity of leaders. However, he’s also concerned about whether efforts could lose momentum in a new administration.

For parent advocates, the focus remains on finding answers.

“I wish everyone would just get beyond politics and understand that these are desperate people who really need meaningful help,” Cellini said.