We talk About Autism.

Truth validated by science, with the Autism community.

The truth is Robert F Kennedy, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, is not telling the truth or using science to support his statements.

Here is a list of Autism Advocates I am thankful for who share facts validated by science with the Autism community…

Read on for my notes and researched sources about RFK’s fully false statements about the prevalence and “cause” of Autism.

Autism Advocates

• American Academy of Pediatrics @ameracadpeds
• Dr. Kristin Wegner, PhD/LP @diagnosingautism
• Jessie Ginsburg @sensory.slp
• Dr. Lauren Hughes @drlaurenhughes
• Dr. Shannon M. Clark, MD, FACOG @babiesafter35
• Kaelynn Partlow @kaelynnvp
• Tiffany, Gunner’s Mom @LifeWithSevereAutism
• Mercedes Palermo @autismoutloud
• Fiona C @itsthatparent
• Dr. Zachary Rubin, MD @rubin_allergy
• Dr. Tommy Martin @dr.tommymartin
• npr @npr
• … and many I’ve forgotten and will add at another time.

RFK uses old scientific studies that used different definitions, and false statements from disbarred scientists that have been disproven, and statements that have no scientific proof.

• “Vaccines cause Autism” statement has been disproven!
  • “A retracted study from the 1990s undermined trust in vaccines and led to a persistent myth.”
  • Andrew Wakefield, the lead scientist from a 1998 paper where “He [Wakefield] looked at 12 children, eight of whom the parents reported developing autism after getting the MMR vaccine.” Wakefield “cherry-picked cases,” was disproven by resulting true studies of the MMR vaccine, and had his medical license stripped in 2010 (National Library of Medicine). But the damage was done and doubt was sown.
  • Please read: Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism. Why Do Some People Think They Do?
  • Please read: British Medical Council Bars Doctor Who Linked Vaccine with Autism.
• “Tylenol causes Autism” is not a proven fact!
  • A bounty of scientific research supports Autism is hereditary “with links between hundreds of genes” and can also be linked to the parental age during pregnancy among other possible “causes” or predispositions.
  • “He [Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor Dr. Zeyan Liew] says that there is no proven causal relationship between acetaminophen use and autism.” Several large observational studies have reported “associations” between frequent or prolonged acetaminophen use during pregnancy and higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.” … “However, not all studies are specific about autism.” “Further, there might be other factors related to acetaminophen use, such as fevers (which are known to cause increased rates of neurodevelopmental delays). Genetics and other medical conditions also need to be considered.”
  • Please read: RFK Jr.’s statements about autism and environmental toxins conflict with ample research.
  • Please read: What the research says about autism and acetaminophen use during pregnancy. [Tylenol and autism]

He backs his statements using old studies with diagnostic criteria that do not match newer diagnostic definitions of Autism.

• “a huge increase in the prevalence of Autism to 1/36 children.”
  • Please read: RFK Jr. Misleads on Autism Prevalence, Causes.

Why should you trust what I think about these issues? Here is where I found my facts…

Bibliography

FactCheck.org. RFK Jr. Misleads on Autism Prevalence, Causes. April 28, 2025.

• Why should we trust what FactCheck.org says?
• FactCheck.org is “a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.”
• Also interesting… FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.
  • Walter Annenberg Wikipedia for quick reference.

Johns Hopkins. Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism. Why Do Some People Think They Do? March 14, 2025.

• Why should we trust what Johns Hopkins says about this topic?
• “Patient safety advances at Johns Hopkins stretch back almost 150 years. Many of the programs and safety metrics developed here have been adopted worldwide.”
• “As America’s first research university, Johns Hopkins has stood at the vanguard of inquiry and discovery since 1876. Time and again, we have demonstrated that when we strive and dream together, our institution can shape the world in enduring and indelible ways.”

NPR. RFK Jr. boots all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. June 9, 2025.

• Why should we trust what NPR says about this topic?
• Find resignation statements of CDC board members on social media and within NPR news article above.
• NPR. Ousted CDC director testifies she was fired for resisting pressure from RFK Jr. September 17, 2025.
• PBS. How RFK Jr.’s hand-picked CDC advisory panel voted on COVID vaccines and more. September 19, 2025.

PolitiFact.org. RFK Jr.’s statements about autism and environmental toxins conflict with ample research. April 24, 2025.

• Why should we trust what PolitiFact says about this topic?
• “Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.”

L. Burd et al. A prevalence study of pervasive developmental disorders in North Dakota.  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. September 1987.

• 200 interviewees… not 180,000 as stated by RFK during Senate interview
• in this study, ‘co-author Larry Burd, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Dakota who now primarily studies fetal alcohol syndrome, told us that he is “pretty satisfied” that the study “did capture the prevalence rate of autism at that time” but that “many of the cases today would not have been captured using those criteria.” ‘

New York Times. British Medical Council Bars Doctor Who Linked Vaccine with Autism. May 24, 2010.

Time Magazine. Doctor behind vaccine-autism link loses license. May 24, 2010.

Yale School of Public Health. What the research says about autism and acetaminophen use during pregnancy. September 23, 2025.