RFK Jr Reveals Bombshell Autism News

Autism Rates Soar in America as Health Secretary RFK Jr Calls for ‘Environmental Toxin’ Investigation

In his first press conference as Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared rising autism rates in America as a “preventable” crisis-level epidemic, attributing the increase to environmental toxins rather than improved diagnosis.

Kennedy took aim at what he termed “epidemic deniers” who accept the explanation that better screening and awareness are responsible for the documented rise in autism prevalence. 

He dismissed this view as an “industry canard.”

“One of the things that I think that we need to move away from today is this ideology that the autism prevalence increases – the relentless increases – are simply artifacts of better diagnoses, better recognition or changing diagnostic criteria,” Kennedy stated during Wednesday’s conference.

The new HHS Secretary announced plans to establish autism research under a chronic disease division within the new Administration for Healthy America. 

He promised to unveil “a series of new studies to identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing it” in the coming weeks.

Kennedy specifically mentioned potential factors including mold, pesticides, medicines and ultrasounds, while dismissing genetic research as a “dead end.”

“Genes do not cause epidemics. It can provide a vulnerability. You need an environmental toxin,” Kennedy asserted.

Dr. Walter Zahorodny from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who co-authored the recent CDC report showing increased autism rates, joined Kennedy at the conference. 

He characterized the rise as an “urgent public health crisis” that couldn’t solely be explained by better awareness.

“I would urge everyone to consider the likelihood that autism – whether we call it an epidemic, a tsunami or a surge of autism – is a real thing that we don’t understand, and it must be triggered or caused by environmental or risk factors,” said Zahorodny.

He added, “We need to address this question seriously because, in my opinion, for the last 20 years, we’ve collected data but not made real progress in understanding what causes autism or how to effectively prevent it or treat it effectively.”

Kennedy also called for more responsive monitoring systems, saying, “We don’t wait two years to react to a measles epidemic… or any kind of infectious disease.”

“We shouldn’t have to do that for diabetes or autism.”

CNN reported that the CDC’s latest report, released Tuesday, revealed that approximately 1 in 31 children was diagnosed with autism by age 8 in 2022, an increase from 1 in 36 in 2020. 

The report collected data from 16 areas participating in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, though researchers note this information isn’t nationally representative.

The CDC report’s authors acknowledged “improvements in early identification of autism” and suggested that “differences in the prevalence of children identified with [autism spectrum disorder] across communities might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.”

Kennedy’s claims about autism have drawn strong criticism from advocacy organizations. 

CNN noted that the Autism Society of America released a statement calling it “harmful, misleading, and unrealistic” for HHS to claim the cause of autism will be quickly identified and eliminated.

Christopher Banks, CEO of the society, stated, “Claiming that Autism is ‘preventable’ is not science based, and places unnecessary blame on people, parents and families.”

Banks emphasized, “Autism is not a chronic disease, nor a childhood disease, it is a lifelong developmental condition; it is not an epidemic, nor should it be compared to the Covid-19 pandemic, and using language like that perpetuates falsehoods, stigma and stereotypes.”

He added that current prevalence rates demonstrate progress in “improved screening and diagnostics” while highlighting “the need for more robust, comprehensive research and data rooted in credible methodologies.”

CNN further highlighted that existing scientific consensus views autism as influenced by multiple factors, with genetics playing a significant role. 

Many experts attribute the documented rise in autism diagnoses primarily to expanded awareness, improved screening procedures and better access to identification resources for previously underserved populations.

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