When RFK Jr. became the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, he committed to identifying the root causes of autism. RFK Jr. was so confident in his pursuit of the truth that he went on record in April promising to have answers by September. Alongside this promise, RFK Jr. also made statements alluding to his belief that environmental toxins were likely responsible not only for autism but also for the recent dramatic increases in autism rates.
In an effort to solve the mystery, RFK JR. made promises to gather a team of global scientists with the best reputations and credentials to deliver results.
About two months after that, RFK Jr. made statements in an interview with Tucker Carlson alluding to the idea that studies that didn’t show a connection between autism and vaccines were “trickery”. In that same interview, he promised to use the agency’s recently granted $50 million in federal funds to get “real studies done for the first time.”
At the same time, Kennedy has been slashing funding for more traditional autism-related studies. Traditional research suggests that numerous factors, including environmental and genetic factors cause autism. Most specifically, autism is the result of the unique way a person’s genetics combine with their environment.
In past studies, researchers have concluded that pregnant women who were exposed to specific environmental contaminants were much more likely to have a child who would later be diagnosed with autism. Some of the pollutants that have strong links to autism include air pollution, pesticides, BPA, trichloroethylene, and other types of forever chemicals.
In another past study, prenatal folic acid exposure was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of a future autism diagnosis in children. The researcher who conducted this study recently had their grant canceled by the EPA after receiving $1.3 million to study the impact of wildfire air pollution on the risk of developing a future neurological condition.
In all, about $40 million in grants for autism-specific research have been canceled since Kennedy took over.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, these cuts are occurring because the agency plans on consolidating all autism research into one unit called the Administration for a Healthy America. This new unit will fund two- to three-year research projects aimed at identifying potential contributors to autism.
In a nutshell, Kennedy appears to have made some big promises and failed to consider the real complexity of autism and to uncover the root cause. The good news is that the reorganization may lead to future breakthroughs. For now, the best thing parents can do is to continue advocating for what’s best for their children.
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