Special Episode: A Conversation with MAHA Moms & Science Communicators About Autism

On this special episode—the latest in our series of conversations that bring together people who rarely talk to each other—we hear from different perspectives on autism in a no-holds-barred discussion about this pivotal moment.

Joining us are two MAHA moms raising children with autism, Science editor-in-chief Holden Thorp—who was diagnosed with autism as an adult—and Dr. Rachael Bedard, a physician and science communicator. 

President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made finding a cause a top issue, putting autism—and the families living with it—squarely in the national spotlight. They’ve pointed to Tylenol use during pregnancy as a possible cause, sounding big alarm bells and triggering backlash.

Today, we move past the politics and the noise to ask some bigger questions: Is Kennedy disrupting the status quo—or distorting it? And is this the kind of change that autistic people and parents actually want?

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guests:

Jennifer Phillips, MAHA mom, has a daughter living with autism, founder Make a Stand 4 Autism

Holden Thorp, editor in chief, Science; was diagnosed as being on the ASD spectrum as an adult

April Robinson, MAHA mom, has a son living with autism; works with Voice for Choice

Dr. Rachael Bedard, physician, journalist, works with caregivers managing serious illness 

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