”Any effort to misrepresent sound, strong science poses a threat to the health of children." Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised earlier this year to determine the cause of autism by September. Here's what we know about autism and the Trump administration's new steps to address it. Science has shown autism is mostly rooted in genetics, with the discovery of several hundred genes that play a role. In addition, the Coalition of Autism Scientists said Monday that acetaminophen use during pregnancy hadn’t increased in recent decades like autism rates have.