Neurodivergent Diversions: A Column about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
by James Coulter
On Wed. Apr. 16, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, hosted a press conference discussing the findings of a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That study revealed autism rates in children have increased exponentially in recent years, from 1 in 36 children in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022.
RFK Jr. referred to this increase in autism rates as an “epidemic.” That phraseology would be problematic in and of itself, but his description of people with autism proved to be far more alarming:
“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 on a date. [And] many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
As a person with autism, I know from my personal experience that everything he said is total nonsense. I pay taxes. I hold a job. I’ve written poetry. I’ve played baseball in my backyard as a kid. And I’ve been on a few dates. (Oh, and last time I checked, I can use the bathroom unassisted.)
Grated, I say all of this as someone with high-functioning autism. I know plenty of people with low-functioning autism most likely struggle with all those things. Even then, so what? Even people who are unable to take care of themselves are worthy of dignity and respect. If anything, we should care more for those types of people, not less.
And that’s the most concerning aspect of his comments. RFK Jr. may have shared them out of what he assumed was sympathy for people with autism. But many other people have shared similar sentiments out of contempt, claiming autistic people or other people with special needs are “worthless” or a “burden on society” because they cannot do the same things “normal” people can.
These dangerous sentiments were common in Nazi Germany, where many people with special needs and disabilities were dismissed as “empty human shells” and “life unworthy of life.” They were decried as “burdens on society” because they were often confined to public institutions where they were accused of “wasting tax dollars.” So, the Nazis decided to get rid of them. In fact, people with special needs and disabilities were one of the first victims of the Holocaust.
RFK Jr. later stated that his agency would conduct “a massive testing and research effort” to determine the causes of autism with plans to have those findings available by September later this year. Perhaps even more concerning, he has also expressed his intent to accomplish his goal by amassing the medical records of people diagnosed with autism into a registry, raising concerns about potential violations of privacy rights.*
And what does RFK Jr. think is the most likely culprit for the recent uptick in autism diagnoses? Well, aside from blaming “environmental factors”, the HHS Secretary has previously shared his controversial belief in the conspiracy theory that vaccines cause autism.
For the record, vaccines do not cause autism. There is no evidence, nor has there ever been evidence, that autism rates are linked to vaccination. The only “evidence” suggesting otherwise was a study published by former doctor Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet in 1999, and not only was that dubious study retracted, but the “doctor” was struck off the medical register for “serious misconduct.”
So, what’s the real reason autism rates have been increasing? It’s not because of vaccines or “environmental factors.” It’s because the diagnosis criteria for autism have been broadened over the past several decades. And the reason scientists and other researchers have broadened those criteria is because they have learned more and more about autism.
Since his press conference, RFK Jr.’s comments have raised concerns from people with autism and autism advocacy groups. Aside from infantilizing (potentially even dehumanizing) people with autism, he is also spreading misinformation about medical science and proposing measures that could violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.
*An HHS official has since released a statement claiming that the department will not be creating an autism registry.
