In a new interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services said autism is an epidemic with more impact than the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a trend. Covid killed an old man, so it warns the Covid epidemic and its impact on our country. Autism affects children, it’s the beginning of productivity, it’s the beginning of their productivity.”
“And that’s absolutely debilitating for them, their families, their communities,” he added.
His statement comes after the secretary faced scrutiny earlier this week after he allegedly claimed that “autism will destroy families.”
In the past, Kennedy has also promoted anti-vaccine rhetoric with unproven theories that vaccinations are associated with autism.
According to Disease Control Center (CDC), children are at increased risk for autism if they have a family history of a disorder, if the mother experiences complications at birth, or if chromosomal status poses a threat to development.
Kennedy’s comments on Catsimatidis hinted at a rapid increase in the rate of autism and an increase in health costs.
“For our country, the pure economic cost of autism will be up to $1 trillion a year in 2035. It’s just the beginning because many of these kids are aging every day, so it’s just the beginning. And I’m talking about people with severe autism.
“These families, those kids are nonverbal and non-toilet training. They have all this stereotypical features of autism, head slap, toe, irritation, intestinal pain, pain, head slap. Those kids are many children with autism, and many highly functional autism can actually do their job.
However, CDC experts disagree and notice an increase in autism cases as screenings improve.
Minnesota first lady Gwen Waltz recently called out comments surrounding Kennedy’s autism, criticizing her leader for disregarding the contributions of individuals diagnosed with a disability.
“This is very upsetting and comes from the highest health officer in our country, especially the highest health officer,” Gwen Waltz said. Her posts on Thursday X. “Autistic individuals are family, neighbours, students and colleagues, and this person is more of a contribution to this country than ever before.”
Kennedy’s comments about autism have been accused of “disrespectful” and “unrealistic and misleading” by lawmakers and awareness groups who raised concerns about the secretary’s announcement last week.
“Telling autism a chronic disease and using medical terms like “fat” actually dehumanizes autistic individuals and perpetuates stigma and stereotypes,” Christine Ross, chief marketing officer of the Autism Society, told Hill in a previous comment. “It really reverses the many advances that have been made over the past few decades.”
She said the speed at which Kennedy is committed to providing the cause of the disorder is surprising.
“It gives people a lot of false hope,” she said. “Truth, strict, peer-reviewed science takes time to find quality answers.”
In an interview with Catsimatidis on Sunday, Kennedy touted the proposed research by denouncement of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC to study genetic binding with autism on behalf of environmental contributors.
“The problem is that the NIH and CDC blocked all the studies that determine environmental exposure. So we don’t know. Instead, they are studying genes and genes, which contribute to autism, but like I said, you need environmental toxins.
“And we’ll identify it and use AI. [artificial intelligence] And the best scientific protocols, everything is very transparent. You can deploy 15 teams to look into all the potential exposures, but it could be mold. It may be a food additive. It could be a pesticide. It could be a vaccine. It could be ultrasound,” he suggested.
