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AP FACT CHECK: Trump's iffy grasp of autism research
Source: Associated Press
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's iffy grasp of autism research
By LAURAN NEERGAARD and CALVIN WOODWARD
Feb. 15, 2017 2:59 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has weighed in on child autism, apparently without a complete grasp of the research.
Trump in the past has promoted debunked theories linking vaccines to autism, and shortly before his inauguration was considering a commission on the matter. Such comments have alarmed health professionals. Just last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics and dozens of other health organizations signed a letter to Trump saying claims that vaccines aren't safe "have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature," and offering to meet with him to explain that science.
A look at his statement at a forum Tuesday and what is known about the prevalence of autism in children:
TRUMP: "Tremendous increases ... really a horrible thing to watch the tremendous amount of increase."
THE FACTS: About 1 in 68 school-aged children has autism or related disorders, a rate that has stayed about the same for two years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in March.
That's far more than in 2000, when the CDC estimated that about 1 in 150 children had autism. That increase is explained in large part by more awareness of the developmental disorder and changes in practice that broadened the definition for an autism diagnosis.
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By LAURAN NEERGAARD and CALVIN WOODWARD
Feb. 15, 2017 2:59 PM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has weighed in on child autism, apparently without a complete grasp of the research.
Trump in the past has promoted debunked theories linking vaccines to autism, and shortly before his inauguration was considering a commission on the matter. Such comments have alarmed health professionals. Just last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics and dozens of other health organizations signed a letter to Trump saying claims that vaccines aren't safe "have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature," and offering to meet with him to explain that science.
A look at his statement at a forum Tuesday and what is known about the prevalence of autism in children:
TRUMP: "Tremendous increases ... really a horrible thing to watch the tremendous amount of increase."
THE FACTS: About 1 in 68 school-aged children has autism or related disorders, a rate that has stayed about the same for two years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in March.
That's far more than in 2000, when the CDC estimated that about 1 in 150 children had autism. That increase is explained in large part by more awareness of the developmental disorder and changes in practice that broadened the definition for an autism diagnosis.
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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c7d4da746a444f13b22c5f89d8fe60a8/ap-fact-check-trumps-iffy-grasp-autism-research
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