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    Understanding Autism

    Aug 24, 2001 04:00 AM EDT

    ELIZABETH BRACKETT: He did it by analyzing 170-year-old strands of the famous composer's hair. Walsh began trying to understand what elements in the autistic child's body or brain chemistry had gone awry. This research led to what he saw as a remarkably high correlation between autism ...

  • News Wrap: Trump signs order calling for MMR vaccine split into 3 shots

    News Wrap: Trump signs order calling for MMR vaccine split into 3 shots

    Aug 10, 2026 10:50 PM EDT

    During today's signing, Mr. Trump also repeatedly suggested vaccines could be linked to autism. That's despite decades of research, including large-scale studies involving hundreds of thousands of children finding no causal connection. Attorney General Todd Blanche was sworn in today after being narrowly confirmed by the Senate ...

  • WATCH: Trump signs executive order on childhood vaccine recommendations

    WATCH: Trump signs executive order on childhood vaccine recommendations

    Aug 10, 2026 08:10 PM EDT

    ... been fixated on connecting autism to vaccines. He has recently ramped up pressure on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to identify the cause of autism, something Kennedy had pledged to do with new research unveiled last year. Trump publicly prodded the health secretary for an update on autism research ...

  • Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz for CDC director

    Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz for CDC director

    Jul 30, 2026 04:03 PM EDT

    ... smoking and promote vaccinations had been curtailed. She declined to commit to taking down a CDC website that suggests a link between childhood vaccines and autism. She said she had not seen it, though she agreed existing medical evidence has not found a link. Last week, Cassidy said that “as ...

  • As wildfire smoke makes air unhealthy from Midwest to East Coast, officials say stay inside

    As wildfire smoke makes air unhealthy from Midwest to East Coast, officials say stay inside

    Jul 16, 2026 11:51 PM EDT

    ... of thousands of face masks at transit hubs and other major locations. Gwen Moseley, 65, was among the first patrons at Rosedale Library in Queens to take advantage of the free masks, saying she’s on the road much of the day working as a therapist for children with autism.

  • WATCH: Erica Schwartz testifies in confirmation hearing for CDC director

    WATCH: Erica Schwartz testifies in confirmation hearing for CDC director

    Jul 15, 2026 08:12 PM EDT

    Schwartz said she was unaware that CDC programs that worked to prevent smoking and promote vaccinations had been curtailed. She declined to commit to taking down a CDC website that suggests there’s a link between childhood vaccines and autism (she said she had not seen it), though she agreed ...

  • Unbearable heat suspected in 19 New Jersey deaths as high temperatures give way to thunderstorms

    Unbearable heat suspected in 19 New Jersey deaths as high temperatures give way to thunderstorms

    Jul 05, 2026 06:45 PM EDT

    ... between a hotel and our home because we have dogs there,” she said. “We really can't stay there. I have a small child with autism. Our well runs on an electric pump.” The outage also ruined the family's July 4 celebration. “We had planned on having company over ...

  • Trump's actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn

    Trump's actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn

    Jul 01, 2026 09:20 PM EDT

    ... her son's needs and told her to stop apologizing for them. A program at his school called Fantastic Friends teaches mainstream fifth graders about autism and they spend recesses with children in the autism program. Every year, Nakassis said, there is a waitlist to be a Fantastic Friend. Nakassis ...

  • Some MAHA backers grow frustrated with Trump's health policies

    Some MAHA backers grow frustrated with Trump's health policies

    May 25, 2026 10:40 PM EDT

    ... controversial opinions on vaccines also resonated with Fuller, who describes herself as -- quote -- "vaccine-hesitant." She questions whether vaccines played some role in Steve's autism. Dozens of studies on different vaccines have found no connection to autism. Nancy Fuller: I am a proponent, actually, of vaccines, but I also ...

  • Woman at center of sprawling Minnesota fraud case gets nearly 42-year prison sentence

    Woman at center of sprawling Minnesota fraud case gets nearly 42-year prison sentence

    May 21, 2026 06:28 PM EDT

    ... expected to plead guilty in June, according to a court filing.Two additional people were accused of receiving $21.1 million by billing Medicaid for autism therapy that was either unnecessary or not provided. Investigators said the two paid families as much as $1,500 per child per month to ...