Last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at the White House that he would find the cause of autism by September and “eliminate those exposures.” It was a deeply disturbing statement—not because it was surprising, but because that kind of certainty leads to real harm. It shuts down questions, ignores the reality autistic people and their families live every day, and leaves no room for the complexity that autism demands. That isn’t science—that’s pseudoscience.
I wasn’t the only person who was alarmed by the Secretary’s statements. The Autism Society of America responded to Kennedy’s pledge by saying, “We find that unrealistic and misleading.” The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) added, “The notion that a single definitive cause will be identified within a specific and near timeframe does not align with the consensus of the scientific and medical communities.” And the Autistic Self Advocacy Network put it plainly: “Real science does not move that quickly, because real science cares about truth.”
Kennedy’s statements reflect a common but mistaken view—the idea that autistic people are broken versions of how others see themselves. That way of thinking might seem well-meaning on the surface, but it leads us in the wrong direction. It overlooks the fact that autistic people are not failed copies of someone else’s model—we are whole people, with our own challenges, our own strengths, and our own ways of thinking, connecting, and being in the world—all of which deserve to be recognized, supported, and understood.
We already see the cost of misunderstanding autism. Just this week in Pocatello, Idaho, 17-year-old Victor Perez—an autistic teen—was shot in his own yard by police who didn’t recognize or understand his behavior. Victor later died. When public leaders treat autism like something dangerous or toxic, it fuels fear, not understanding — and fear often leads to tragic, irreversible outcomes.
The additional damage Kennedy’s effort could do is dangerously real. Citing the HHS Secretary’s “complete disregard for science” in this matter, the American Public Health Association—one of the oldest and most respected public health organizations in the country, founded in 1872—called for Kennedy’s resignation. When an organization with that level of credibility and a 153-year history raises the alarm, it’s time to pay attention.
How to Accurately Approach Autism
Building public policy around autism requires an accurate approach. Exercising sound science means asking questions and challenging your own assumptions. When leaders ignore that process, it harms autistic people and their families. That’s what makes Kennedy’s claim so dangerous—it replaces honest public inquiry with his own predetermined certainty.
If you’re in a position to shape public policy or understanding, you have a responsibility to keep questioning what you think you know. That’s how you avoid causing harm—and how you make sure your actions actually help people. Secretary Kennedy has a duty to meet that standard, not ignore it.
I do this in my own work. Last week, I received an advance copy of Autism for Dummies, a book I co-authored with Khushboo Chabria and Ranga Jayaraman, which comes out this May. For most writers, getting that personal copy means the project is finished. You relax, you celebrate, you move on. But that wasn’t true for me.
What should have marked the end of a year-long process turned into something else. I spent the week doing what most authors try to avoid: looking for flaws. I read every page again and again, asking: Is this accurate? Are we honest about what science knows—and what it doesn’t? Does this reflect the reality of the many different types of autistic experiences? Most importantly, does this actually help autistic people and their families?
Because my co-authors and I care about getting it right, this kind of harsh scrutiny didn’t start with my personal copy last week—it shaped our project from the start. It’s why we worked with our publisher to set strong standards and ensure our writing and editorial team included both autistic individuals (like me and our technical editor) and parents of autistic children. While our personal experiences were vastly different, we shared a commitment to getting it right—and that pushed us to question our assumptions, insist on accuracy, and stay attuned to the nuance that real families and real lives demand.
This is exactly what’s missing from Secretary Kennedy’s statement and approach: the discipline to question his assumptions, to admit what he doesn’t know, and the willingness to follow the evidence in pursuit of the truth. That’s what science, good public policy, and the public demand—not certainty, not soundbites, but the hard, ongoing work of getting it right.
When Certainty Replaces Science
I dedicated our book, in part, “to the future generations of autistic people who will think this book outdated because they understand much more than we do now.” That’s because sound science accepts that there’s always more to learn.
Secretary Kennedy’s announcement—and his decision to appoint a discredited vaccine conspiracy theorist to lead a federal effort to “find the cause of autism”— reflects the opposite approach. It suggests the outcome was decided before the work even began, with science twisted and facts bent to fit a predetermined conclusion. That’s not science—that’s a playbook. And it risks doing real harm to millions of American families.
Instead of starting with an answer and bending the science to fit it, Secretary Kennedy needs to stay grounded in what the science already shows. Autism is not caused by “toxins in the environment,” as he suggests. That’s not a political opinion—it’s what decades of research, across multiple countries and involving thousands of scientists, has revealed.
Autism is rooted in genetics—in the structure of the human brain. And despite knowing this for nearly 50 years, researchers have tested and retested that assumption again-and-again. Because of that continued questioning, the genetic story of autism now tells us something profound: Autistic traits have been part of humanity for at least 60,000 years. More likely, they’ve been with us since the very beginning of our human story.
Autism isn’t caused by something in the air, water, or food. It’s part of how some people are wired from the start. The rise in autism diagnoses isn’t about exposure; it’s about progress: better tools, broader understanding, and more people finally getting answers. No matter how many so-called “toxins” you try to eliminate, autistic people will still exist—because we always have.
That doesn’t mean the environment doesn’t matter. Whether autistic or not, environmental factors can influence how traits develop, how brains grow, and how people experience the world. They may affect how certain traits appear, how early they emerge, or how they’re noticed by others. But they don’t determine if someone is autistic or not.
My co-authors and I were careful in how we explained the role of environmental factors to our readers—not just to get the science right, but because we’ve seen firsthand the harm that misunderstanding can cause. When families are told that autism is caused by exposure to something external, they can spend years—sometimes decades—chasing shadows instead of getting real support. That’s not just a waste of time and money. It’s a deep and lasting hurt.
Of course, my co-authors and I have deep empathy for people who get this wrong, and we urge our readers to extend to others that same grace. In fact, we wrote in our book that many who hold onto these inaccurate beliefs often do so “out of fear, misinformation, or a heartfelt desire to protect their kids,” and that “when we peel back those layers of fear, we often uncover shared needs for support and a mutual desire to do what’s best for our loved ones—needs we can work together to address.”
But we also wrote this: “We must never excuse those who exploit these harmful myths for personal gain — whether politicians, influencers, or scam artists — who harm families and undermine public health.”
Secretary Kennedy’s announcement—and his determined course of action—is exactly that: the exploitation of long-debunked myths to support his personal assumptions. It’s not about evidence. It’s not about helping families. It’s about him—and it’s not harmless. When public officials promote false claims about autism, the damage is real—and it falls hardest on the very people they claim to support.
Focus on Actual Needs, Not Assumptions
Autistic people deserve accurate understanding and support. This is especially true for nonspeaking individuals and those with more complex needs, groups often left out of the conversation. Kennedy’s approach is a clear example of how that exclusion happens—starting from assumptions and searching for something to blame instead of focusing on how to help.
If this Administration wants to help autistic people, it can start by listening. That’s not just me saying this — scientists and policy experts agree.
“People with autism must be central voices in any conversations about autism—whether related to research, policy, or services,” said NACDD in its statement.
“Autism research must prioritize—and even more heavily invest in—understanding how to most effectively support autistic people in living their best, most fulfilling lives. It should always be guided by the needs, voices, and goals of autistic individuals, focusing on improving quality of life, autonomy, and meaningful participation, rather than centering on causes or cures.”
This Is a Moment for Action
What happens next matters. Researchers, policymakers, journalists, and the public each have a role in stopping the spread of misinformation and advancing real support for autistic people and their families.
There are real ways the Administration—and Secretary Kennedy — can make a meaningful difference. They can invest in services that help autistic people thrive, like communication support, accessible healthcare, job training, and community-based care. They can fund research that improves quality of life instead of chasing discredited myths. That’s the kind of action autistic people and our families actually need from public officials who claim to serve us.
We must also understand that this isn’t a partisan issue. This moment calls for all of us to work together—no matter our politics, professions, or personal experiences—to ensure that autistic people and their families aren’t harmed by the federal government, but instead receive real support and truthful information.
There are almost certainly officials working within the Trump Administration, and possibly even in the White House, who are raising autistic children and are just as troubled about Secretary Kennedy’s statements as anyone else. Autistic people and their families are part of every community. And this kind of misinformation puts all of us at risk.
Administrative officials have a duty to advise and guide the President—and those serving this White House who are alarmed by Secretary Kennedy’s statements and actions must raise those concerns with him and do everything in their power to prevent his Health Secretary from causing further harm.
There are also Republican members of Congress with autistic family members who understand this issue much more deeply than Secretary Kennedy. Whether in public or behind closed doors, now is the time for them to speak up, ask tough questions, and help steer this effort toward evidence-based policy—not ideology or fear. Their voices could make a real difference right now.
The research community and journalists also have a critical role to play in this moment. Researchers can help stop this effort from drifting further into pseudoscience by publicly speaking out, clarifying what the science actually says, and refusing to lend credibility to a predetermined outcome. With Secretary Kennedy’s effort already underway, the upcoming International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) conference this May offers a timely opportunity for the scientific community to take a clear stand. By using that platform to reaffirm the evidence, elevate autistic perspectives, and reject politically driven narratives, researchers can help prevent real harm—and refocus public attention on what actually improves lives.
Journalists can push for transparency by asking the hard questions: What experts are being consulted by Secretary Kennedy? What research is being used? Who stands to benefit from this effort? They can choose to center autistic voices and scientific consensus in their reporting, instead of repeating harmful narratives or treating debunked claims as legitimate “sides.” In doing so, they help protect the public from being misled—and protect families from being exploited.
And the public has the most important role to play. People can contact their members of Congress, support autistic-led organizations, submit public comments when federal policies are being shaped, and call out misinformation—especially when it comes from government officials.
This moment isn’t just about stopping what’s harmful—it’s also a chance to help the Administration take real, positive steps that support autistic people and their families. It’s an opportunity to speak out and shift the focus toward practical investments in research and services that actually improve lives.
We’ve got a lot of work to do. Let’s get to it.
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