U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has a myopic view about the cause of autism that threatens to destroy years of scientific research on the subject.
Kennedy's view of autism - basically the person is a vegetable who has to be cared for throughout their life - doesn't take into account that the criteria for autism has broadened, producing a spectrum ranging from severe impacts to more modest ones.
Today's definition encompasses individuals with milder symptoms, stronger language skills, and higher IQs. But Kennedy has chosen to ignore years of scientific study and to brand every autistic child as an unbearable burden for the parents.
Kennedy's bleak assessment for the future of all kids with autism is inaccurate. The total amount of people on the spectrum with severe limitations was 26.7% of 8-year-olds with "profound autism" a newly framed (and not universally accepted) definition that included children who were nonverbal, minimally verbal, or had an I.Q. below 50.
Zoe Gross, the director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, said limited available data suggests that Kennedy's characterization is exaggerated.
What's particularly galling to me is that Kennedy is a science denier who has recommended horse medicine for worms to cure Covid and now he's spewing false information about autism.
Fact: there's no proof that Acetaminophens (Tylenol) cause autism. The rest of the world is laughing at how stupid Trump and RFK are and how they ignore science.
How could anyone in their right mind recommend anything without facts to back it up? Kennedy's disability is his credibility which is a big fat zero.
Recommended reading: We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation by Eric M. Garcia who is on the autistic spectrum.
As it Stands, RFK's stance against science is frightening, putting millions of Americans at risk of diseases that were irradicated years ago.
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