<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump reposted a claim on August 31, 2026, that there have been no documented cases of an unvaccinated Amish child being diagnosed with autism. This claim adds to skepticism regarding public health officials’ statements about the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The president’s post on Truth Social features a graphic asserting that there is not an “explicitly documented” case of an unvaccinated Amish child with autism, referencing a 2010 study. Traditional Amish communities have been scrutinized due to low vaccination rates, particularly for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump's post claims that throughout the 330-year history of distinct Amish communities in the United States, there has never been a recorded case of an unvaccinated child diagnosed with autism.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, this claim is misleading and lacks support from the evidence cited.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-narrow-claim-no-documented-cases">The Narrow Claim: No Documented Cases</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The graphic states, “Amish + Autism 330 years later … No published case has explicitly documented an unvaccinated Amish child with autism.” A disclaimer at the bottom of the graphic acknowledges that cases of autism have been documented in Amish children, but clarifies that the claim refers to the absence of a published case of both autism and zero vaccinations.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The graphic cites a 2010 study published by the International Society for Autism Research, which screened 1,899 Amish children for autism and confirmed 7 cases. The study indicated that approximately 1 in 271 Amish children fit the 2010 definition of having autism, compared to roughly 1 in 91 in the general population at that time.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The study also stated that researchers collected vaccination histories for the children, but the published abstract did not report any confirmed case as completely vaccinated.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-reality-a-misleading-statistic-and-skewed-evidence">The Reality: A Misleading Statistic and Skewed Evidence</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The study does not support the graphic’s claim that there is no recorded case of “an unvaccinated Amish child with autism.” Researchers collected vaccination histories, but the version of the research paper referenced does not link the Autism Spectrum Disorder screening results to each child’s vaccination status.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The study does not confirm whether the children diagnosed with autism were vaccinated or unvaccinated. Additionally, it does not support the assertion that there has never been a confirmed case of an unvaccinated Amish child with autism, as the study examines only a specific timeframe.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Researchers surveyed Amish children screened in Ohio and Indiana in 2008 and 2009, and the data are not representative of the entire history of the Amish community. The White House did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for additional studies to support the claim made in the social media post.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-diagnoses-play-a-role-in-autism-numbers">How Diagnoses Play a Role in Autism Numbers</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Adam Omary, psychologist and biostatistician for the Cato Institute, stated that the difference in autism diagnoses among the Amish compared to the general population is likely due to genetic differences rather than environmental exposure. “There is no reliable evidence of any environmental exposures—vaccines or otherwise—causing autism,” Omary said. “The single biggest risk factor is family history.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Omary noted that the study cited by Trump used older diagnostic criteria and that changes in diagnostic criteria have led to more cases of milder forms of autism receiving formal diagnoses. He explained that more conservative screening produces lower prevalence estimates, while more expansive screening results in higher estimates.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trump-s-past-comments-about-autism-and-the-amish">Trump’s Past Comments About Autism and the Amish</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is not the first instance of Trump connecting low vaccination rates with low autism rates among Amish communities. During a press conference in September 2025, Trump made comments suggesting that unvaccinated Amish children do not have autism.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump has also criticized the MMR vaccine, calling it “lethal” during an Oval Office event in August 2025, where he announced a reduction in the number of recommended childhood vaccines.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measles-outbreak-among-the-amish-in-pennsylvania">Measles Outbreak Among the Amish in Pennsylvania</h2>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump’s post coincides with a measles outbreak in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which has the largest Amish community settlement in the U.S. The outbreak has gained national attention due to a dispute over vaccine misinformation involving Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently announced two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County, leading to discussions about the causes of these deaths. The Lancaster County Coroner reported that one of the deaths was of a newborn infant, whose immediate cause of death was a lacerated spleen, not caused by a measles infection. The infant’s mother, an unvaccinated Amish woman, had a severe case of measles during her pregnancy.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to the Association of Immunization Managers, the MMR vaccination rate in Lancaster County is approximately 87%, while only about 25% of the Amish settlement in the county is vaccinated against measles.</p>