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President Donald Trump recently addressed what he described as the “horrible crisis” in autism, and rapid rise in reported cases over the last two decades. Previously, he’s suggested a link between some vaccines and autism, and in his latest remarks, he warned pregnant women to avoid taking the painkiller Tylenol, or Paracetamol as it’s known in many countries. Scientists around the world have condemned his remarks. They say the rise in reported cases of autism is due to increased understanding and diagnoses, and that there is no evidence to show that autism is caused by painkillers or vaccines. In our conversations, autistic people and the parents of autistic children discuss their reactions to President Trump’s comments. “I think it's heartbreaking,” says Ella, who's autistic and lives in the UK. “He's a man whose voice is heard internationally. And I think regardless of whether this misinformation is called out and is called misinformation, people do listen.” “Suddenly being autistic looks like a choice someone made, and then families can be treated like, like they have fault for somebody's diagnosis,” says Elena, another autistic woman. For Gifty, a parent in Ghana, another aspect is the blame it puts on mothers. “In this in this part of the world, Africa, we already have men who don't understand these things. I mean, it adds more value to their conspiracy theories. The mother ate something, the mother did something … and it's like, oh, you see, we always knew that it was coming from the mother.” Presenter: Rahul Tandon ��ѿ��ý producers: Isabella Bull and Ash Mohamed Boffin Media producer: Anne McNaught An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team. (Photo/credit: Areva Martin and her son Marty)