By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nih-director-says-millions-will-be-spent-to-turbocharge-autism-research Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter NIH director says millions will be spent to ‘turbocharge’ autism research Politics Sep 22, 2025 6:20 PM EDT Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said his agency has launched the Autism Data Science Initiative to “turbocharge” autism research following a White House announcement on the issue Monday. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Bhattacharya said millions of dollars will be spent to collect the data. The NIH is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that has — together with other research institutes — studied autism for decades. READ MORE: Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know The link between genes and autism dates back to studies of twins decades ago. Some are rare genetic variants passed from parent to child, even if the parent shows no signs of autism. More on what we know about autism from our coverage: Trump administration suggests acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism. Experts say a link between the two is unproven Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know What research reveals about the rise in autism diagnoses and why vaccines aren’t the cause ‘Good science takes time’: Researcher skeptical autism cause will be found by September We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said his agency has launched the Autism Data Science Initiative to “turbocharge” autism research following a White House announcement on the issue Monday. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Bhattacharya said millions of dollars will be spent to collect the data. The NIH is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that has — together with other research institutes — studied autism for decades. READ MORE: Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know The link between genes and autism dates back to studies of twins decades ago. Some are rare genetic variants passed from parent to child, even if the parent shows no signs of autism. More on what we know about autism from our coverage: Trump administration suggests acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism. Experts say a link between the two is unproven Research doesn’t show using Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. Here are 5 things to know What research reveals about the rise in autism diagnoses and why vaccines aren’t the cause ‘Good science takes time’: Researcher skeptical autism cause will be found by September We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now