RFK JR dated view of Autism

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Yeah I mean really, I understand what ASPOM is saying, but optimally, we do want scientific research to be replicated by all kinds of people, including people we don't like. If that's done and then the results are consistent, then we can really know something.

There are some things that were obvious and not discussed as part of the press conference, but which will have to be considered in any scientific study.

Amish people have almost no neurodevelopmental disorders. However, they are also a closed community. Their elders approve marriages to make sure there is no close interbreeding but they are also heavily German for many generations. True, they do not get vaccines or take medication. But they also grow their own food. They are not around electromagnetism. They make their own clothes. They are so different it is hard to say what is influencing them. What if we took any one of you and transplanted you into their culture. Would you cease to be "autistic?" Maybe their way of living would "cure" things that are a "problem" in our regular society.

There are other cultures that have very low rates of autism and other conditions. Sometimes this is simply because they call it something else. Much, much more study will be needed.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stunningly claimed Thursday there may be a link between circumcision and autism – due to distribution of Tylenol to infants following the procedure.

“There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, it’s highly likely, because they were given Tylenol,” Kennedy told President Trump during a cabinet meeting.

Kennedy didn’t specify the research to which he was referring, but a 2015 study out of Denmark that tracked nearly 343,000 Gen Z boys suggested that circumcised males were more likely to develop autism before the age of 10 compared to their non-circumcised peers.

Researchers hypothesized that pain and stressful surgery early in life can increase the risk of neurodevelopmental, behavioral or psychological problems later on.

However, some critics called the research “flawed” and said the study authors should have examined other painful conditions such as urinary tract infections, which are common in young children.

Another possible explanation for the purported link is that boys who undergo circumcision are more likely to interact with healthcare workers, leading to a higher detection rate of autism.

A second, smaller 2024 study out of Ireland found that circumcised boys with autism “exhibited significant improvements” in irritability, sensory issues and repetitive behavior compared to their non-circumcised peers.

The researchers also reported that urinary symptoms such as pain, urgency and the need to go at night, were “significantly reduced.”

Rabbi Nechemia Markovits, a fifth-generation certified mohel and circumcision specialist based in Brooklyn who’s performed the ritual for nearly 40 years, said he has never needed to recommend Tylenol after performing the procedure on a newborn.

“The procedure is quick and well-tolerated,” he told The Post.

“I place a light gauze with Vaseline to protect the area, and if there’s any mild discomfort, parents can use a gentle topical spray on the first day. Every family has direct access to me afterward through WhatsApp, and I guide them personally through the healing process until everything is completely healed.”

For older children, Markovits said a proper dose of Tylenol can ease short-term soreness.

“I’ve never had newborns use Tylenol,” he said, later adding: “My focus is simply on providing safe, comfortable, and natural healing for each patient.”

Kenvue (KVUE.N), opens new tab has urged U.S. regulators to reject a request seeking autism warning label on its popular over-the-counter pain medication Tylenol for use during pregnancy, after President Donald Trump linked the drug to the condition.

A citizen petition filed last month requested changes to the labeling of the drug for use during pregnancy that are "unsupported by the scientific evidence and legally and procedurally improper", the company said in its submission dated October 17.

The petition by Informed Consent Action Network asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require Tylenol and other products containing acetaminophen have warnings about the association with the conditions, including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Composer William Barnett started his YouTube channel as an outlet for his music—but today he also uses it to debunk the steady stream of White House rhetoric on autism while sharing his own experience living with it.

US President Donald Trump and his health secretary, anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, have made autism their talking point, calling it a "horror show" and "a crisis" while making unproven claims that it's caused by vaccines or acetaminophen.

"I just wonder if he sees us all as pawns," the 29-year-old told AFP from his apartment in Queens, New York.

Barnett—in a view that mirrors the medical community at large—sees the White House language as misinformation that only serves to drum up fear among parents and stigmatize people like himself.

"It's caused a lot of autistic people to believe that there's something wrong with them, and that they don't really have a place in our society," Barnett told AFP.

’Treated as a human'
Barnett received multiple diagnoses related to autism, beginning at age three.

Growing up in Los Angeles, "I just wanted to be normal," he said. "I just kept thinking about what my life would look like if I was neurotypical."

The composer doesn't feel that way today: he has a Master of Fine Arts in musical theater from New York University, and has found that by embracing his diagnosis, his life has only grown richer.

Barnett said he's found "a second home" through the organization Autistic Adults NYC, an autistic-run nonprofit.

The group recently took part in New York's annual Disability Pride Parade, a Manhattan march bringing together a diverse crowd of mentally and physically disabled people along with allies and parents.

Autistic Adults NYC member Sebastian Bonvissuto, 26, said the discourse in Washington has made him feel "frustrated" and "angry."

"I feel like we are treated as we're nothing in society," he said.

But people on the spectrum "think outside the box" he said, and "can contribute in so many different ways than other people would."

Members interviewed by AFP all said if the White House wants to help, they should focus on funding services and asking autistic people what they need, rather than casting their lives as diminished.

Maryum Gardner, 26, called the White House position "dangerous."

"It's hard being a neurodivergent person in this world," she said.

But "it doesn't matter who you are," she said. "You still deserve to be treated as a human."

’Human diversity'
Barnett acknowledges that many people with autism have it harder than he does, with far more severe symptoms.

Some parents have voiced feeling seen by Kennedy's descriptions of their struggles.

But even within that context, Barnett said, the health secretary's comments are "over-generalizing" at best.

Barnett said he's lucky he received support from his family, at school and from specialists to be able to better cope with life in a world that isn't always accepting.

"My struggle goes beyond what you see on camera or how I present myself," he said, pointing to years of speech and occupational therapy as well as socialization training.

He has worked with experts including Elizabeth Laugeson, a UCLA psychiatry professor, whose decades of experience include developing social skills programming for youth and adults.

Laugeson told AFP the White House rhetoric that's hyper-focused on cures hearkens back to an "ugly past" of "fear-based and deficit-based language."

"Autism isn't a tragedy or something to be fixed for many people," added Laugeson. "It's a neurodevelopmental difference."

"It's part of human diversity."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has emboldened plenty of charlatans since taking over as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Now, the Food and Drug Administration under his leadership has taken down a webpage warning the public about popular pseudoscientific remedies for autism.

Ars Technica reported on the removal Tuesday, though it appears to have occurred in late December. The webpage criticized a variety of unapproved interventions claimed to treat autism, particularly chelation therapy. Kennedy has previously stated his intention to expand Americans’ access to unproven, alternative medical treatments, including chelation.

“Life-threatening outcomes”
Chelation therapy is the use of drugs that bind to heavy metals in the body, allowing them to be excreted through urine. It’s an effective treatment for certain kinds of acute poisoning or toxic exposures. But in the alt med world, chelation is instead marketed as a potent cure-all for removing toxins that supposedly cause a variety of chronic illnesses, autism included.

The FDA webpage was labeled a consumer update and titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism.” It rightly noted the lack of evidence supporting chelation therapy as an autism treatment and the dangerous side effects that can come with using it improperly. People have gotten hurt or even died after taking chelation for autism and other unapproved uses.

“Chelating important minerals needed by the body can lead to serious and life-threatening outcomes,” the page previously stated. It also tackled other purported autism cures and treatments, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, detoxifying clay baths, and bleaching agents like “Miracle Mineral Solution.”

The RFK Jr. bump
HHS has denied any nefarious intent behind the FDA’s removal of the page. In a statement to Ars Technica, a representative claimed the webpage was retired as part of a “routine cleanup” of older pages from the FDA’s website; the agency also pointed the outlet to an active page on fraudulent treatments for various health conditions.

The autism section of that page is threadbare, however, listing no specific treatments that should be avoided. Another FDA webpage criticizing unapproved chelation therapy in general remains active as well; it briefly discusses its improper use for autism. But this page was last updated in 2016, whereas the pulled autism and chelation page was last updated in 2019. That raises the question of why the FDA removed the more current public warning but left the older page intact.

It’s worth noting that RFK Jr. has already personally pushed for the editing of public materials disseminated by health agencies under HHS to suit his ideological agenda. Last November, Kennedy directed the CDC to drastically change its webpage concerning vaccines and autism. The page now claims the federal government hasn’t done enough to rule out a link between vaccines and autism—a connection that’s been debunked by dozens of studies, but one RFK Jr. has supported for decades.

Last May, during an interview on the Ultimate Human Podcast hosted by Gary Brecka, RFK Jr. stated that HHS would make it easier for Americans to get their hands on treatments not currently approved by health regulators; he also specifically name-checked chelation therapy as one of these alternative treatments. Notably, Kennedy and many of his allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement have previously profited or are currently profiting from selling products popular in alternative medicine and wellness circles.

https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/02/amish-autism-rates-research-challenges-diagnosis-culture/
My research group at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has been studying the health of the Lancaster, Pa., Amish community for more than 30 years. Although we have not specifically investigated autism, Amish people have shared with us accounts of people within their community who appear to have autism.

Autism may not be as much of an issue if their community is accepting so that individuals do not have to expend a great deal of energy masking. It may be that their leaders are smart enough assign work that takes advantage of their unique talents and eliminate the bullying that often occurs in our society for people who are different.

After more than a year, federal health officials are reviving a key panel tasked with guiding the government’s strategy on autism, but the new committee members and the way in which they were appointed are raising concerns.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that 21 new members were appointed to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, or IACC. The panel, which is comprised of government officials and members of the autism community, is charged with advising the secretary of health and human services and coordinating federal activities related to the developmental disability.

“These public servants will pursue rigorous science and deliver the answers Americans deserve,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said of the new members.

Traditionally, the group’s public membership has reflected a mix of self-advocates and family members, academics and representatives of various autism advocacy groups.

The latest selection, however, excludes representatives from some of the most established groups in research and advocacy like the Simons Foundation and Autism Speaks in favor of several new members who have a history of criticizing vaccines. They include John Gilmore, founder and executive director of the Autism Action Network; Honey Rinicella, executive director of the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs; Ginger Taylor, a parent advocate; and Toby Rogers, a fellow at the Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research; among others.

“The IACC used to be an advisory group that included public members who represented a wide variety of lived and professional experiences, but who respected scientific evidence. The bulk of the recently appointed members appear to be people who adhere to untested, disproven, and sometimes dangerous ideas about what causes autism and the best ways to care for autistic people,” said David Mandell, a professor of psychiatry and an autism researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who has served on the IACC. “The group appears stacked to give Secretary Kennedy political cover to continue his assault on life-saving vaccines and to promote unproven treatments.”

Mandell noted that the biographical information provided by HHS for each of the new members “for the most part leaves out any of the work they have done to promote untested or disproven theories about cause or treatment.”

HHS opted not to reappoint any existing IACC members who were eligible for a second term. And, the new IACC includes fewer self-advocates — only the three required by law, down from seven, according to Sam Crane, a self-advocate and disability law expert who has served two terms on the IACC.

“This is a major step backwards for the autistic community, which deserves meaningful representation in all conversations that concern us,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Autism Science Foundation questioned whether the new slate of members satisfies the legal requirements for the IACC, which is supposed to include representation from leading research, advocacy and service organizations for individuals with autism.

“The newly constituted IACC represents a complete and unprecedented overhaul, with no continuity from prior committees and a striking absence of scientific expertise,” said Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, who served three terms on the IACC.

The manner in which the appointments were revealed is also raising concerns. In a highly unusual break from the past, many of the new members took to social media to announce their appointments well ahead of the HHS announcement, in some cases before the deadline for nominations had even passed.

In addition, a “standard orientation meeting” for members occurred last week before the appointments were made public, according to Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman.

Ordinarily you wouldn’t have people announcing on social media that they’ve been selected, much less sworn in, before the roster is published,” Crane said. “I don’t remember having any sort of ‘orientation’ meeting either — statutorily, all meetings of IACC need to be publicly noticed and open to the public. It’s a really troubling lack of transparency.”

If circumcision leads to autism, why aren't more men autistic?

​One year into his first term, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s focus on autism is showing how polarizing Trump administration health policy can be for Capitol Hill Republicans.

Some GOP lawmakers say Kennedy’s interest in autism is counterproductive and could cause long-term mistrust in public health as the administration reopens investigations into vaccines as the cause, which numerous studies have debunked.

Others say that any attention on autism is good attention and point to recent increases in federal spending on research into the condition as evidence.

Increasing diagnosis
Other Republicans are much more welcoming of the administration’s actions.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., praised Kennedy’s approach to autism research, arguing Republicans and Democrats alike should be thanking the Trump administration because because it is focused on stemming the growing autism diagnosis rate.

One in 31 children aged 8 years old received an autism diagnosis in 2022, according to a CDC study. The rate of diagnosis in adults ages 26 to 34 increased by 450 percent from 2011 to 2022, according to a study published in JAMA.

Autism advocates and physicians say the increase in diagnoses is two-fold; on one hand, screening for autism has improved and doctors widened the definition of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, to include more subtle forms. But on the other, experts say these changes do not account for the huge rise and it’s likely there are unknown environmental or social factors at play.

Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., has been involved in autism policy almost his entire career. Smith became interested in autism, especially profound autism, after hearing about the experiences of a family in his district. He recalled a time when the CDC spent less than $250,000 a year on autism research. With the passage of the 2024 autism legislation, spending has risen to $2 billion over a five-year span within multiple health agencies.

Smith, who says he supports vaccinations, praised removing thimerosal from vaccines and spreading out the childhood vaccination schedule, calling the administration’s focus “a breath of fresh air.”

“I mean, anyone who thinks there has not been a manifold spike in autism and say we’re just diagnosing it better, you know, I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge,” he said. “If it turns out it’s not linked to getting vaccinations, OK. But the question should be asked.”

Advocacy split
Autism advocates are also generally split between outright rejecting Kennedy’s vaccine policy push and welcoming the newfound spotlight with some cautious optimism.

Finding the root cause isn’t helpful to those living with autism today, said Zoe Gross, a former Senate HELP Committee staffer and the director of advocacy at the Autism Self Advocacy Network.

“It’s not that they are trying to improve our lives,” Gross said of the administration. “It’s about using us as kind of this talking point to try and undermine public confidence in vaccines.”

She would like to see Congress provide more federal programs and support for people living with autism and use its platform to draw attention to misinformation about vaccines and autism. She called on Cassidy to hold Kennedy accountable.

The administration’s focus has helped individuals with profound autism get more federal attention, said Judith Ursitti, co-founder and president of Profound Autism Alliance.

For the first time ever, the 2026 Senate Labor-HHS appropriations report directed the NIH to ensure autism research includes profound autism. While that exact language was not included in the final bill, the bill report says funding should ensure “research reflects the entire population of individuals with ASD.” Ursetti said this helps her organization’s lobbying efforts.

While profoundly autistic people make up about 26 percent of the autistic population, they are included in just 6 percent of clinical autism research, according to the CDC.

She’s hopeful Kennedy’s shakeup on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee could help drive some change for the profoundly autistic, and the committee could focus on things like adult services and early mortality among autistic individuals.

“I can see how people are concerned about these big changes in the IACC. On the other hand, more of the same, honestly to me, would have been just as devastating,” Ursetti said. “Change does need to happen.”

The warning on the government website was stark. Some products and remedies claiming to treat or cure autism are being marketed deceptively and can be harmful. Among them: chelating agents, hyperbaric oxygen therapies, chlorine dioxide and raw camel milk.
Now that advisory is gone.

The Food and Drug Administration pulled the page down late last year. The federal Department of Health and Human Services told ProPublica in a statement that it retired the webpage “during a routine clean up of dated content at the end of 2025,” noting the page had not been updated since 2019. (An archived version of the page is still available online.)

Some advocates for people with autism don’t understand that decision. “It may be an older page, but those warnings are still necessary,” said Zoe Gross, a director at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a nonprofit policy organization run by and for autistic people. “People are still being preyed on by these alternative treatments like chelation and chlorine dioxide. Those can both kill people.”

Chlorine dioxide is a chemical compound that has been used as an industrial disinfectant, a bleaching agent and an ingredient in mouthwash, though with the warning it shouldn’t be swallowed. A ProPublica story examined Sen. Ron Johnson’s endorsement of a new book by Dr. Pierre Kory, which describes the chemical as a “remarkable molecule” that, when diluted and ingested, “works to treat everything from cancer and malaria to autism and COVID.”

Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican who has amplified anti-scientific claims around COVID-19, supplied a blurb for the cover of the book, “The War on Chlorine Dioxide.” He called it “a gripping tale of corruption and courage that will open eyes and prompt serious questions.”

The lack of clear warning from the government on questionable autism treatments is in line with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rejection of conventional science on autism and vaccine safety. Last spring, Kennedy brought into the agency a vaccine critic who’d promoted treating autistic children with the puberty-blocking drug Lupron. And in January, Kennedy recast an advisory panel on autism, appointing people who have championed the use of pressurized chambers to deliver pure oxygen to children, as well as some who support infusions to draw out heavy metals, a process known as chelation.

Kennedy has embraced various unconventional measures in his fight against what he views as a government system corrupted by special interests. In October 2024, shortly before Donald Trump won the presidency again, Kennedy vowed on social media that the FDA’s “war on public health” was about to end.

“This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma,” he wrote.

At his confirmation hearing, Kennedy praised Trump for his wide search for a COVID-19 remedy in his first term, which Kennedy said included vaccines, various drugs and “even chlorine dioxide.”

The FDA, dating back to at least 2010, has urged consumers not to purchase or drink chlorine dioxide, frequently marketed as a Miracle Mineral Solution, because “the solution, when mixed, develops into a dangerous bleach which has caused serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.”

The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) has previously reported on the removal of the FDA warnings page. The lack of a warning has also received attention in the Telegram channel Chlorine Dioxide Testimonies.
“Don’t forget the FDA quietly removed warnings about Chlorine Dioxide on their website earlier this year,” read a forwarded post in late December, to which over 100 people reacted with an applauding emoji.

The contributor added a wish for the future: that Kennedy and the FDA commissioner undertake official studies exploring chlorine dioxide’s effects in battling cancer. There currently are no warnings about chlorine dioxide on a consumer page on the FDA website. And HHS did not answer ProPublica’s questions about whether the agency endorses chlorine dioxide as a treatment for autism.

In his book, Kory also expresses optimism about what Kennedy will do. “What I really want is for the FDA to lift its restrictions on studying chlorine dioxide as a therapeutic,” he wrote. “That’s something I’m hoping might finally be possible under this new administration, especially with RFK Jr. as head of Health and Human Services.”

Many autism researchers and advocates have been wary of Kennedy due to his long-held stance that vaccines cause autism.

Kennedy’s replacement of 21 members who were part of an interagency coordinating committee on autism provides another glimpse into where he wants to take federal policy.

The committee provides advice and recommendations on policies, research and services. It now includes people who have promoted unproven remedies for autism, including suramin, a drug developed to treat sleeping sickness in Africa caused by bites from a tsetse fly; hyperbaric oxygen therapy, typically used for decompression sickness and tissue damage; controversial language techniques; and chelation therapy.

A 5-year-old autistic boy died in Pennsylvania in 2005 after a chelation session. Another 5-year-old boy died in Michigan last year in a hyperbaric chamber fire; his parents wanted him treated for an attention disorder.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network published a statement on its website saying that the newly reconfigured HHS autism panel is now “overwhelmingly made up of anti-vaccine advocates and peddlers of dangerous quack autism ‘treatments.’”

HHS told ProPublica in an emailed statement that such claims are “false” and that the new members are experienced in research and clinical care. “They are committed to advancing innovation in autism research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention to align federal policy with current gold-standard science,” HHS said.

Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told ProPublica that Kennedy’s removal of committee members with solid expertise in favor of people who support alternative medicine shows that the secretary is “perfectly willing to embrace bogus therapies.”

Another leading expert, Yale University professor emeritus Dr. Fred Volkmar, who edited the “Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders,” a definitive guide, said early diagnosis and proven treatments have led to dramatic improvements for people with autism. “These days, probably 70% to 75% of children on the autism spectrum will grow up to be fully independent or semi-independent adults.”

Sadly, however, he said, some parents fall prey to promises of easy and fast cures, when there are none. One of the dangers, he said, is that children are drawn away from treatments that are shown to be beneficial.

“It’s a shame that the federal government is not being more helpful to parents in understanding what does and doesn’t work,” Volkmar said.