Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doubling down on his autism views even as many continue to call him out for harmful generalizations.
During Sunday’s interview on WABC 770 AM’s “The Cats Roundtable,” Kennedy claimed, “This is an epidemic. It dwarfs the COVID epidemic…COVID killed old people. Autism affects children and affects them at the beginning of their lives.” He added, “It’s absolutely debilitating for them, their families, their communities.”
The Health and Human Services Secretary, who recently said “autism destroys families,” continued by citing costs: “The pure economic cost of autism will be by 2035, $1 trillion a year.” He emphasized “profound autism,” which he claimed makes up 26% of diagnoses, describing affected children as “non-verbal, non-toilet trained,” experiencing “head banging, toe walking, stimming, agonizing gut pain.”
Kennedy made similar claims last week, which sparked a wave of backlash. Minnesota’s First Lady, Gwen Walz, tweeted Thursday, “This is deeply upsetting…Individuals with autism…contribute more to this nation than this man ever will.”
Autism Society of America’s Kristyn Roth called his language “disrespectful” and “dehumanizing,” saying it “reverses a lot of progress” and spreads “false hope.”
Kennedy also criticized NIH and CDC for focusing on genetics instead of the environment.
“NIH and CDC have blocked all the studies that would determine the environmental exposure,” he claimed. “It could be mold…food additives…vaccines…ultrasound.”
Experts say autism rates are rising due to better screening, though Kennedy is not moved by these facts.
