by Annette Pinder 

As families prepare for a new school year, President Trump’s recent executive order recommending changes to childhood vaccine schedules is understandably raising questions. Parents may be hearing conflicting messages about which vaccines children need, when they should receive them, and whether longstanding recommendations have changed. However, the most important message from leading medical organizations is simple: Talk with your child’s health care provider and rely on evidence-based guidance from organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). 

The federal government’s new approach shifts some vaccines from routine recommendations for all children to recommendations for specific high-risk groups or to shared decision-making between families and clinicians. It also favors administering childhood vaccines during separate medical visits and calls for separating the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual vaccines. 

Separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines are not currently available in the United States, and producing and obtaining approval for new individual products could take years. Delaying vaccination while waiting for separate vaccines could leave children and communities vulnerable to these diseases. Separate immunizations would also mean four times as many injections and medical visits, creating additional burdens for working families. More importantly, the AMA and AAP say the proposed changes are not supported by the extensive scientific evidence that underlies childhood vaccination schedules. 

Buffalo physician Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH, president of the AMA, responded to the executive order, saying, “Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied and effective tools we have to protect children from serious vaccine-preventable diseases.” Underwood emphasized that decisions about when and how to administer vaccines should be grounded in rigorous scientific evidence, patient safety, and independent medical and public health expertise. 

Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, FAAP, president of the AAP, explains that the organization’s vaccine recommendations are grounded in decades of research and real-world experience. Pediatricians recommend vaccines at specific ages, when children are most vulnerable to certain diseases and when their immune systems are best able to respond. Sometimes that means receiving a single shot that protects against several diseases or getting multiple vaccines during one visit. 

The AAP’s 2026 childhood and adolescent immunization schedule remains grounded in disease risk, vaccine safety and effectiveness, and the ages when children are most vulnerable. The AAP now publishes its recommendations independently rather than endorsing the current CDC schedule. Therefore, a change in federal recommendations does not mean the scientific evidence about vaccines has suddenly changed. 

Parents should also understand that school vaccination requirements are set primarily at the state level. A change in federal recommendations does not automatically alter the vaccines required for children to attend school. States can continue to establish and enforce their own immunization requirements; however, New York’s requirements have not changed. Parents should check with their pediatrician, school, or state health department about the requirements in their area. 

The medical organizations also addressed a concern that continues to worry some families. Both Underwood and Racine emphasized that extensive evidence from decades of scientific research confirms there is no link between vaccines and autism. 

As the school year begins, parents wondering how to proceed can take reassurance from medical professionals: Families deserve accurate, nonjudgmental information, free of fear. Pediatricians and other healthcare professionals can explain the evidence, answer questions, and help parents make informed decisions about their children’s care. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2026 recommended evidence-based immunization schedule is available at https://tinyurl.com/AAP-Immunization-Schedule. See the AAP’s statement on the executive order at https://tinyurl.com/AAP-President-Statement and the American Medical Association’s statement at https://tinyurl.com/AMA-Statement. Mark your calendar for upcoming BHL television programs about childhood vaccines on September 19 and 20, and on September 26 and 27. Shows on Saturday air at noon, and shows on Sunday air at 7:30 pm on WBBZ me-TV, channels 5 and 67.