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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated Wednesday that the agency plans to study several potential "environmental factors" that could be linked to the spike in autism.
Kennedy's announcement ignited a fierce clash on social media among parents. Some backed his efforts to discover the cause, while others called for more dignity and acceptance for those with the disorder — as though the two had to be mutually exclusive.
'There's nothing wrong with him. F**k you RFK.'
During a Wednesday press conference, Kennedy shared autism statistics, warning that it is "increasing in prevalence at an alarming rate."
"The [autism spectrum disorder] prevalence rate in 8-year-olds is now 1 in 31," he said, referring to a study that examined children born in 2014.
Kennedy explained that there is an "extreme risk" for American boys, stating that they have a 1 in 20 chance of being diagnosed, and in California, those stats jump to 1 in 12.5 boys.
He highlighted the upward trend in "severe" cases.
"About 25% of the kids who are diagnosed with autism are non-verbal, non-toilet-trained, and have other stereotypical features," Kennedy said, noting light sensitivity, stimming, and toe walking.
He called out the "epidemic denial" in the media, urging Americans to move away from the ideology suggesting that better diagnoses or changed diagnostic criteria could explain away the uptick in autism. The HHS secretary read out the results of several studies to support his claims.
"Obviously, there are people who don't want us to look at environmental exposures," Kennedy said. "We know it's an environmental exposure. It has to be. Genes do not cause epidemics. They can provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin."
Kennedy continued his address by stating how the failure to look into environmental toxins is harming families and fueling the increase in autism among young people.
"Autism destroys families. But, 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, many of them, were fully functional and regressed because of some environmental exposure into autism when they're 2 years old," he stated.
"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," Kennedy continued. "And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children."
He announced that the HHS would conduct studies to determine whether any environmental factors — including ultrasounds, mold, pesticides, food chemicals, medicines, or air and water contamination — are linked to autism and, if so, remove those toxins.
While some parents applauded Kennedy for his dedication to finding the cause of the disorder, others felt his statements during Wednesday's address were profoundly insensitive.
Variety featured an op-ed titled "My Son Is Not an Epidemic: A Father Responds to RFK Jr.'s Dangerous Autism Rhetoric." The author called Kennedy's speech "scientifically false and intentionally offensive."
Axios published a piece titled "People with autism seek dignity where RFK seeks a cure." Social media users bombarded the news outlet's comments.
"Why not give dignity and also a 'cure' …?" one individual wrote.
"Can't we do both?" another echoed.
Kennedy's critics clipped and shared the portion of his speech where he listed how severe forms of autism have forced otherwise avoidable disadvantages on children. His detractors appeared to believe that his comments extended to those with even the most mild forms of the disorder, such as high-functioning individuals.
'For my daughter, autism is not a [superpower].'
One social media user wrote, "I'm not giving that RFK Jr. video another share. Autistic people deserve understanding and acceptance."
A father posted a video of his autistic son playing the piano.
"He is teaching himself piano and learns songs by ear. He taught himself to read at 2 years old. He's in the 94th percentile for math. There's challenges, but he's the best thing [in] my life," he wrote. "There's nothing wrong with him. F**k you RFK."
One mother stated, "My Son with Autism graduated college with honors, is an 8th grade math teacher, has a girlfriend, pays taxes, and contributes to society. RFK doesn't know s**t about Autism."
None of Kennedy's critics seemed to address the studies he cited during his speech. Yet they seemed convinced that despite not knowing the cause of autism, environmental factors could not be to blame.
Another mother, who described herself as "not an [RFK Jr.] fan," defended the HHS secretary's remarks.
"He just described children with what some would call 'profound' or 'severe' autism at a press conference and i have already seen so much pushback about how 'their kid who has autism isn't like that' and like..........congratulations???? mine is," she said.
"For my daughter, autism is not a [superpower]. it makes her life very difficult. she struggles to communicate her needs, it's hard for her to participate in things with other children," she continued.
She criticized those who claim that autism "isn't a disease," stating, "For my child it is as debilitating as one."
Other social media users responded to her post, with several questioning whether applying a "spectrum" to autism diagnoses "has done a great disservice" to those with more severe forms of the disorder.
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