Parents of children with autism are speaking out against recent comments made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying his remarks about autism and vaccines reinforce harmful stereotypes and ignore the diversity and potential of people on the autism spectrum.
"He's spreading fear and misinformation," said Beth Hoffman, a Maryland-based mom of a 10-year-old non-speaking son with autism.
RFK Jr. contradicts experts on rise of autism diagnosesHoffman said she was "outraged and disturbed," adding that Kennedys' comments about "autism being an epidemic and a chronic disease causes falsehoods and a negative stigma."
"I'm sad for our country, my son's future, and everyone with [a disability]," she said.
The backlash follows a new CDC report showing that autism diagnoses are on the rise, affecting 1 in 31 8-year-olds in the U.S. in 2022. On the heels of the report, Kennedy on Wednesday announced a directive to the National Institutes of Health to investigate what he called "environmental exposures" that he claimed could be contributing to that rise in diagnoses.
Medical professionals say the rise in autism diagnosis is largely because of better awareness and diagnosis, as well as broadening medical definitions that now encompass a wider range of people on the autism spectrum.
Kennedy pushed back on the idea that the surge in diagnoses may be due to increased awareness or better diagnostic tools, calling that explanation "indefensible."
"Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children," he said at an HHS press conference in Washington, D.C.
Autism advocates were dismayed to hear Kennedy's blanket characterization of children with autism: "They'll never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem, they'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted."
Autism spectrum disorder, ASD, is a spectrum, which means symptoms vary by person: Some need little support in their daily lives, and some may need a great deal of support in performing day-to-day activities. Some may have advanced conversation skills and others may be nonverbal.
The new CDC report, for example, estimated that fewer than 40% of children diagnosed with autism in 2022 were classified as having an intellectual disability.
Actress and longtime autism advocate Holly Robinson Peete responded to Kennedy's comments on Wednesday with a pointed video on Instagram.
Brittany Cartwright reveals 3-year-old son Cruz has nonverbal autism"There is so much to unpack," she said in the video. "Autism is not a disease. It is a developmental disorder, and it is important to get that right."
Peete, who has spoken extensively in the past about her son RJ's autism diagnosis 25 years ago, noted that he has "checked off and shattered a lot of 'never' off that list."
Samantha Taylor, whose 20-year-old son is also on the spectrum, echoed that frustration. "Unless you are the parent of a child with autism, you can't begin to imagine what the journey is like," she told GMA. "To say that it's an epidemic and destroying families is an insult to everyone in the autism community."
Taylor also shared additional thoughts in a Facebook post earlier Thursday, writing, "Autism doesn't destroy families. You know what does? Inaccurate information passed along as science."
Alexis and Richard Brown, parents to 15-year-old twin boys with autism, told GMA they were disheartened by Kennedy's statements. "RFK had a lot of nerve stating that autism is ruining our lives," Alexis Brown said.
Alexis Brown, who has served on the board of the Gentry Foundation for Autism since 2016, added, "Autism is a very broad spectrum, and it is not an epidemic. Our children play sports, are members of the National Junior Honor Society, serve as junior instructors in their jujitsu black belt club and do CrossFit. So let's debunk the idea that all children with autism will never use the toilet, never hold a job or never succeed in life."
Experts in the field echoed many of the concerns voiced by parents.
"We are excited about Secretary Kennedy's interest in autism," said Tom Frazier, professor of psychology at John Carroll University and board chair at Autism Speaks, a nonprofit autism awareness organization. "But we have to make sure the research is focused on the needs of autistic people and their families, and that we're not recreating research that's already been done."
Frazier pushed back on the sweeping generalizations shared by Kennedy, noting the wide range of abilities across the autism spectrum.
Frazier, whose son is on the spectrum, said, "My son will probably never go on a date, but there are other autistic people who are incredibly socially successful and are an unbelievable asset to the world. It's a spectrum, and I think [Kennedy] may have been speaking for a subset of individuals like my son, but his remarks were inelegant and didn't reflect the diversity of autistic experiences."
He also emphasized the importance of collective progress. "Autism is underfunded relative to less prevalent conditions, and with 3.2% of children identified with autism, we need more support, more acceptance and the right kind of research."
Christopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America, a national charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum, also weighed in, urging public leaders to ground their messaging in current science and respect for the community.
"The report cites that the rise in autism prevalence, from 1 in 36 in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022, may reflect progress in awareness, increased access to screening and diagnosis, and also reinforces the urgent need for robust, science-based research to better understand autism," Banks told "GMA." "Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects people of all backgrounds. Claims that autism is 'preventable' or definitively caused by 'environmental toxins' are not supported by current research."
Banks also cautioned against framing autism through a lens of tragedy or fear and emphasized the importance of preserving access to essential programs.
"More inclusive systems, such as strong Medicaid coverage, lead to earlier identification and access to services," he said. "This data makes clear the need for universal screening, trained pediatric providers and equitable care."
Mary Kekatos and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
