RFK Jr. Pledges September Revelation on Autism Cause

ByEthan Pineridge

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a bold declaration during Thursday’s White House cabinet meeting, claiming his department will identify the cause of what he termed the “autism epidemic” by September. The controversial statement has drawn immediate reactions from medical experts and advocacy groups.

“We have now the autism rates have gone from our most recent numbers we think are going to be about one in thirty-one,” Kennedy told President Donald Trump at the televised meeting. “So, they’re going up again.”

Kennedy, who has a history of making disputed claims about autism causes, added that his department has “launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world” to address the issue. “By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic. And we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures,” he stated, according to Mediaite.

Photo Source: s_bukley/DepositPhotos

Experts Challenge “Epidemic” Framing

The announcement drew immediate skepticism from autism experts. Dr. Alex Kolevzon, clinical director of Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, told Newsweek that “stoking fears of an epidemic, especially with falsified claims about an association with childhood vaccines, is scientifically unfounded.”

A spokesperson for the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) was more direct, stating “there is no autism epidemic,” a position shared by many autism advocacy organizations. The group attributes rising diagnosis rates to improved understanding rather than environmental factors.

“We have come a long way in our understanding of autism, and better understanding has led to higher rates of diagnosis. This is nothing to panic about, and it certainly isn’t proof of an environmental cause of autism,” the ASAN spokesperson explained to Newsweek.

Changing Diagnostic Criteria

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 36 children are now identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This represents an increase from 1 in 150 children when the CDC began tracking in 2000.

Kennedy compared current rates to “1 in 10,000 when I was a kid,” a claim that experts say fails to account for significant changes in diagnostic practices. Kennedy was born in 1952, when autism wasn’t yet labeled as a separate diagnosis and testing was limited.

Dr. Kolevzon explained that the increase in autism diagnoses stems partly from “new iteration[s] of the diagnostic manual,” with criteria “steadily” broadening over time. “We are also diagnosing autism at younger ages due to effective screening based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics,” he added.

Presidential Reaction

President Trump responded to Kennedy’s claims by saying, “Think of that, so it was one in 10,000 children had autism, and now it’s one in 31. Not 31,000, 31. That is a horrible statistic, isn’t it? And there’s got to be something artificial out there that’s doing this.”

The president suggested that Kennedy’s promised findings might lead people to “stop taking something, you stop eating something, or maybe it’s a shot, but something’s causing it” – comments that appeared to echo vaccine skepticism that both men have previously expressed.

Autism Speaks, a prominent non-profit dedicated to autism awareness and research, has noted that “the increase in ASD diagnoses among young adults suggests that people may be going undiagnosed in childhood, only receiving a diagnosis in early adulthood when challenges in daily life become too difficult to manage.”

Photo Source: Jean_Nelson/DepositPhotos

Historical Context

Kennedy has previously claimed that childhood vaccines were linked to autism, assertions that have been thoroughly debunked by scientific research. During his confirmation process for the HHS position, Kennedy avoided making this specific connection.

Several reports last month indicated that the CDC is moving forward with a study examining potential connections between vaccines and autism, despite scientific consensus that no such link exists.

Documentary producer A.J. Perez responded to Kennedy’s claims on X (formerly Twitter): “Neurodivergent people (like me) have always existed. RFK Jr. and anyone who thinks he will get to the bottom of the increased prevalence of autism are clowns. Research, diagnosis and treatment leads to more diagnoses.”

As September approaches, medical professionals, autism advocacy groups, and the public will be watching closely to see what, if anything, comes from Kennedy’s promised revelation.

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