When I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) after a series of events revolving around my dad leaving for new work. This was after a series of emotional breakdowns and my teachers saying that I probably had the disorder.
At the time of my diagnosis, the rate was 1 in 59 for 8-year-olds to be diagnosed with ASD, even with the publication of the 5th Edition for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders the year previous. Today, the rate of diagnosis has increased to 1 in 31 children due to a revised version of the DSM-V. This increase has led Health & Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to call the disorder “preventable” and “an epidemic,” drawing backlash from researchers and the autistic community alike. With a promise to find the “cause” by September, there are claims and statements made by him that are to be dissected for the truth.
The first statement that RFK Jr made in his speech on April 16 is that children with autism regress around the age of two. Although ASD is diagnosed around this age, researchers have found brain differences in children as young as six months old before the eventual diagnosis. As for the “regression,” this term doesn’t really apply to ASD. As the diagnosis implies, ASD is a spectrum divided up into three levels based on function, with Level 1 Autism needing little to no support, and Level 3 Autism (“Classic Autism”) requiring the most. Remember, autism is a spectrum. Everyone with the disorder is different from one another and that shouldn’t affect anyone in the slightest. Although individuals with ASD can regress, it is a result of factors like changes in routine, stress, or overstimulation, according to NeuroNav. This understanding of spectrum designations is something that I’ve researched as part of an informative piece for Speech & Debate this year, and am aware of as someone with ASD.
The second piece to pick apart is the supposed main cause of ASD, which RFK claims is purely environmental, calling research into genetic factors a dead end. This statement is partially true, as there are some environmental factors, like viral infections or medications, that contribute to ASD, but genetics also play a major role. Mutations for the disorder are found in just one gene that can be involved with the development of the brain, number of neurons produced, or regulation regarding the activity of other genes or proteins, as stated by Medicine Plus. There is no definitive set cause for autism or other neurodivergent conditions, as stated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. These claims that the disorder is completely environmental not only damages what scientific progress has been made in understanding ASD, but also affects conditions that are environmental, like lung cancer, COPD, or cardiovascular diseases, as people could potentially die out of fear of being diagnosed with something that only affects the brain. To counteract this, there are many parents with autism who have children with the same disorder living in the world.
The third and final statement that shall be dissected is that ASD “is a preventable disease.” This hampers the studies on autism as a whole that have delved into the true causes, as stated in the previous paragraphs. These studies disprove the harmful “preventable” claim that has been around for centuries. This major misconception stems from the historical trend of lacking an understanding of neurodiversity, and the belief that there is a “cure” for the disorder . This misconception harms any awareness and advocacy for the ASD, and creates a stigma that greatly affects anyone with the disorder. These effects can include negative stereotypes and discrimination against people with ASD, and an increase in the rate of autistic people not being employed, which is already a major issue. It can also lead to people with ASD being excluded from various groups or portrayed in a light that gestures towards autistic people needing help every step of the way for their lives, when that is most often not the case.
Overall, RFK’s statements about ASD are harmful, and in some cases, outlandish. Other comments by RFK include the claim that autistic people won’t be able to perform daily functions, like holding a job, paying taxes, or using the bathroom. And with his proposal of an autism “registry” that would access the medical information of more than a million Americans diagnosed with the disorder, more harm has yet to come for people with ASD. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that we need to know more about to provide a better future, not just for the autistic community, but for the larger neurodivergent community as a whole. If RFK continues spreading misinformation like this, all will be affected. We need to understand that the man with many controversies behind his back is making false statements regarding a group of individuals with so much to them. I should know, given my experience as a member of the autistic community, who is ready to graduate at the time of writing this piece. We need to stand up and fight for what is right. If nothing is done, the true destruction of families will only continue furthermore. RFK proclaims that autism destroys families, but the information that he spreads has become the true cause behind such destruction.
