Autism experts argue that the rise in cases is due to increased awareness and improved diagnostic testing, but Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of Health and Human Services (HHS) closed the idea Wednesday, attributed it to environmental factors instead.
Kennedy told reporters Wednesday that those who discount environmental exposures are the drivers of rising autism and that they are responsible for increasing autism cases are engaged in “anti-election of the epidemic.”
Kennedy appeared at HHS headquarters in Washington, DC, discussing the latest findings on autism included in the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey released Tuesday.
“It comes from environmental toxins and someone made a profit by putting that environmental toxin in our air, water, medicines and food,” Kennedy said. “And it’s their interest to say, ‘Oh, to normalize it, to say, this is all normal, it’s always here.” “It’s not good for our country. ”
RFK JR. Calling for fluoride removal from drinking water, causing controversy
Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak at a press conference on the CDC’s Autism Report at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington on April 16, 2025.
Still, a new CDC-owned study addressed to Kennedy found an increase in the prevalence of autism, saying it was “due to differences in the availability of services for early detection and assessment and diagnostic practices.”
Specifically, the survey found that one in 31 8-year-olds were diagnosed with autism in 2022, and one in 36 in 2000 was diagnosed.
Furthermore, the study determined that autism rates are much more common in boys than in girls. One in 20 people are diagnosed with autism, but these numbers amount to one in 70 for girls.
Kennedy admitted Wednesday, but although there may be genetic vulnerabilities that contribute to increased odds for autism diagnosis, he said autism rates have skyrocketed since 1989 and some new environmental toxins must be introduced around that time.
“Why don’t we see it in the elderly? Why is this happening only with young people?” Kennedy said. “Our age – I’m 71 – have you ever had a complete infestation of autism?
As a result, Kennedy said the HHS study examines mold, pesticides, air, water, various drugs, and toxins, including parents’ age and obesity rates.
“We’re going to see all the potential perpetrators,” Kennedy said.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding the apparent inconsistency between Kennedy’s remarks and the CDC investigation.
Utah bans fluoride from public drinking water, in line with the Maha movement.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday signaled the administration would launch a massive research initiative by September to understand the causes of autism. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Kennedy signaled at the White House cabinet meeting Thursday that the administration would launch a massive research initiative to understand the causes of autism by September.
The Autism Self-Advocacy Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy and legal advocacy on behalf of people with autism, opposed Kennedy’s statement at the Cabinet meeting, claiming that Kennedy refused to accept research that refers to genes as the underlying cause of autism.
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“There is no evidence that autism is actually becoming more common (or rather, we as a society have become better at identifying it, and our diagnostic criteria are being properly expanded),” the network said in a statement Thursday. “But even if it was autism or even if it belonged to our society. It’s a form of eugenics to speak as if our existence was a kind of calamity that must be excluded otherwise.”
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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