US EditionRFK Jr. exaggerates share of autistic population with severe limitations
- On April 16, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Held a press conference responding to a new CDC report that found autism affected 1 in 31 eight-year-olds in 2022.
- Kennedy argued that only about 25% of the autism increase is due to better diagnosis, claiming the rise in prevalence and intellectual disability trends are real and environmentally caused.
- Scientists emphasize that autism rates have increased due to expanded diagnostic criteria, increased awareness, and improved screening, while much autism is genetic and true prevalence changes remain unclear.
- A 2023 CDC study showed about one-quarter of autistic children have severe limitations, but experts and autistic individuals say Kennedy's portrayal exaggerates how many face such challenges.
- The debate highlights a need for further research into autism's causes and supports, while stressing that Kennedy’s statements about severity do not represent most autistic people or aim to stigmatize them.
80 Articles
80 Articles
Statements by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., "All he says about autism is false," says a psychiatrist.
The U.S. Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK), multiplies the erroneous statements about autism, which he considers to be a preventable disorder that destroys families and whose "cause" he plans to find by September. But what is it? To distinguish the true from the false, let us correct the facts.
East Bay Times
The Mercury newsWhy don’t we see older adults with autism? It’s history, not mystery
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently claimed he doesn’t see older adults with what he calls “full-blown autism” — and that this somehow supports his long-debunked theory about vaccines. As two Bay Area moms raising autistic children, we’ve heard this line before. It’s not just wrong. It’s dangerous. Here’s the reality: people with severe autism have always existed. But in the 1950s and 60s, they were rarely diagnosed, often misdiagnosed and frequently…
"It won't work" - researchers critical
In September, the United States identified the cause of autism – this was confirmed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kristiina Tammimies, associate professor of medical genetics, does not give much away about the statement. – Autism is a complex condition, there is not just one cause, she says.
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