Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had his first press conference since Donald Trump appointed him as the secretary of Health and Human Services this week, and it went even worse than we expected. This time it was his comments about autism that sparked outrage!
Here’s what happened. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new study which found one in 31 children in the US have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by the age of 8 — which is higher than previous years. According to the agency, the uptick in numbers “might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.” You can see the full study HERE.
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However, RFK Jr. doesn’t believe the CDC’s explanation that the increased diagnoses are because of improved research, availability, and awareness. Instead, he thinks there are “environmental causes” at play here — ones he vows to figure out. He announced that HHS will launch new studies to identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing [autism]” and hopes to have “answers” by September. However, many scientists and doctors have argued there is no way anyone can put a deadline on such research, and they fear his anti-vaccine confirmation bias could heavily affect the results. It’s also important to note that the scientific community has already been studying the cause of autism for years, with many studies pointing to both genetics and environmental factors as likely contributors.
Watch the conference (below):
Again, RFK has long subscribed to the conspiracy theory — despite it being debunked over and over — that vaccines cause autism. He came into office with a conclusion in mind, and many fear he’s going to find a way to prove the anti-vaxx movement right, no matter what the actual experts say.
But that’s old news. What’s new today is the way the politician characterized autism that has people up in arms. See, RFK called the rise of autism diagnoses an “epidemic.” Like it’s a disease. What the f**k. It is NOT a disease. He said during the press conference:
“One of the things that I think that we need to move away from today is this ideology that…the autism prevalence increase, the relentless increases, are simply artifacts of better diagnoses, better recognition or changing diagnostic criteria. This epidemic denial has become a feature in mainstream media.”
Oh, and it gets worse. Kennedy then made several claims about life for kids with autism, saying:
“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this. These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
Let us make this very clear: What he says here is such a BS generalization that will only cause fear and stigma for everyone in the neurodivergent community and their families. Firstly, this is not some sort of disease or virus — definitely not an “epidemic,” as he stated. It’s a neurological difference. It’s a way in which we’re all different — one that is only recently measurable and identifiable. Remember how left-handedness was considered a psychosis for decades? This is just as backward.
Second, while a percentage of people with autism may need around-the-clock care, most don’t. There is a wide spectrum included in these numbers he’s so enthusiastic about citing. And most on it do have jobs, pay taxes, play baseball, write poems, go on dates, live independent lives, and so on.
To dehumanize, invalidate, and issue blanket statements about their experiences is incredibly harmful as it further stigmatizes and contributes to misunderstandings of autism. We can’t say we’re surprised Kennedy said all this, though. The guy is an anti-vaxxer who pushes the debunked claim all the time that autism is caused by vaccines, among other insane conspiracy theories. And oh yeah, he’s not a doctor. So the fact he’s even in this position is insane. Like we said, we’re not surprised. But at the same time, we’re enraged. So are others.
Many experts have since slammed RFK. Zachary Warren, a pediatric psychiatrist and autism researcher at Vanderbilt University, told NPR:
“We may have hundreds, if not thousands, of different neurogenetic factors that in combination with complicated environmental interactions influence presentations of autism. As a clinician, I wish I had better — and, quite frankly, simpler — answers for my families. But autism isn’t a single thing; it is a word we use in an attempt to capture a spectrum of behavioral strengths, differences, and vulnerabilities in order to help optimally support children.”
Zoe Gross, the director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, blasted the “fear-mongering language” in his comments, adding:
“While they whip up hysteria about autism diagnosis rates, the Trump administration is attacking the rights and lives of autistic Americans on many fronts. … Their talk of an autism ‘epidemic’ is only in service of their anti-vaccine agenda, and does nothing to benefit autistic people.”
While Kristyn Roth, chief marketing officer for the Autism Society of America, feels there certainly needs to be more autism research, she doesn’t agree with Kennedy’s way whatsoever. She said:
“However, it has to be rooted in science and facts. And to definitively say that autism is caused by an environmental factor or toxin is not rooted in known science right now.”
Many people with autism and parents with children on the spectrum also criticized Kennedy’s comments. Rosie O’Donnell took to Instagram to post of picture of her 2-year-old child, Clay, who is autistic, and wrote:
“Robert Kennedy u should be ashamed of urself.”
He definitely should be! Holly Robinson Peete also defended her 27-year-old son, RJ, who was diagnosed with autism and works as a clubhouse attendant for the Los Angeles Dodgers, saying:
“My 27-year-old son with autism didn’t ‘destroy our family’—he gave us purpose and unity… oh, and he pays taxes.”
She added in the comments:
“I advocate for hundreds of fams over the years all across the spectrum it’s not just about my son. But I don’t like the focus on what kids may Never do…I wish the focus was on diagnosis, acceptance and helping families cope.”
Society does need a change when it comes to autism, but what that change is is more awareness, true understanding, and supports. Not more fear, stigma, and generalizations.
And it’s not just celebrities speaking out, of course. Here are posts from other families in the community:
An Instagram user who goes by @mrsspeechiep says:
“I have so much to say and so many thoughts about recent events of Autism in the news. The world has been heavy lately and it’s so overwhelming, I am struggling to find the words and processes my emotions.
I couldn’t really gather all of my thoughts together for this – so while it’s not perfect and doesn’t represent all of my thoughts and opinions, I still wanted to get this out there.
I want to be clear, I’m not anti-science. I’m anti-misinformation and anti-propaganda. You can’t make up causes for Autism that haven’t been proven (or have been disproven many times). You can’t create arbitrary deadlines for science, because that’s not how science works. And we certainly shouldn’t be dumping money into “research” that’s already been completed when we SHOULD be using that money to support Autistic people and their families.”
And another user, @theneurodiversitymom, says:
“Autism doesn’t destroy families. Lack of support (and services) does. The only epidemic I see right now is misinformation. Signed a married autistic mom of two autistic children. And take it from me, your, mine and their worth is not defined by how employable, dateable or able we are. I actually have been avoiding posting about this and reading it too quite frankly. But…. It’s just too awful to comprehend. Please don’t start with the “not your kind of autism” stuff. We all deserve dignity.”
And @autismoutloud says:
“Sending all my love and strength to those in the community who have felt the intense weight of these past couple of weeks.
As heartbreaking and disheartening as it’s all been, we continue to advocate and fight the fight. Not just for our family, but all people in need of the respect, dignity, and acceptance that they deserve.”
Well said!
X user @NavyStrang says:
“My son is autistic. He paid taxes last year. He has a job. He is going to college. He’s is an Eagle Scout.”
My son is autistic. He paid taxes last year. He has a job. He is going to college. He’s is an Eagle Scout. https://t.co/19VJ1v38Pu
— Nathan Strang (@NavyStrang) April 16, 2025
As @autism_support_community points out, neurodivergent brains are not broken neurotypical brains.
What are your reactions to Kennedy’s comments, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments!
[Image via MEGA/WENN, Jennifer Hudson Show/Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen/YouTube]
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