President Donald Trump announced the Food and Drug Administration believes the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can be associated with increased risk of autism if taken during pregnancy. Some doctors and parents are already pushing back.

Marlene Schlesinger lights up, talking about her son's superpowers. He's just starting second grade and loves math and technology. 

"Just last night I went into his room to tell him it was time for bed, and he was sitting there with a dice and doing probability with the dice. He was seeing how long it would take him to roll all the different numbers. His brain absolutely fascinates me because it just works in a way that mine does not," she said proudly. 

Marlene leads "Nurturing Neurodivergence Together" parent support groups based in Newton and Natick, Massachusetts. Her son lives with autism, her daughter does not. She took acetaminophen with both pregnancies, so the president's announcement Monday, promoting unproven links between Tylenol, vaccines and autism, doesn't add up.

"It's really frustrating. Being pregnant is hard enough, being a mom is hard enough, so much guilt for everything that you do. So hearing this could be what caused your child to be autistic or whatever, is really hard, and not true," she said. 

Kenvue, the makers of Tylenol, issued a statement saying "taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise, and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."

CBS News medical contributor Dr. Celine Gounder said Tylenol is safe during pregnancy. "If you have a high fever during pregnancy, that can cause neurodevelopment issues in the baby, so you don't want to let that fever go untreated," Dr. Gounder said. "Pregnant women might have pain; that's not something that should go untreated either."

Advocate calls for guidance, support

Maura Sullivan is CEO of the Arc of Massachusetts, the leading advocacy organization for people with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families. She never took Tylenol during her three pregnancies, yet two of her sons are "on the more profound side" of the autism spectrum. Sullivan says mothers deserve clear, calm guidance - and support. 

"On one hand he's talking about the devastation, and on the other hand he's cutting Medicaid and special education and even funding to NIH. We just need the supports and the accommodations to live safely and with inclusion within our community," Sullivan said. 

Sullivan did say the announcement of the leucovorin as a treatment for some autism symptoms is hopeful - and underscores the importance of funding for National Institute of Health research.