Another 2015 study examined students in U.S. special education programs between 2000 and 2010. The number of autistic children who enrolled in special education tripled from 93,624 to 419,647. In the same time frame, however, the number of children labeled as having an “intellectual disability” declined from 637,270 to 457,478. The shift of children from one diagnostic category to another explained two thirds of the increase in autism in this population, researchers say.
Some portion of the rise in autism rates may be unrelated to better diagnosis. The likelihood of having an autistic child increases for older parents, and there is a societal trend toward delaying childbirth across developed countries. Children who are born prematurely are also at a heightened risk of autism, and improved neonatal care means many more of these children are surviving to childhood and beyond.
captnObvious · 6d ago
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kennedy promised “some” of the answers to the causes of autism by September. But his “start from scratch” approach largely ignores research that has already been done. For example, Kennedy told reporters the initiative would look at ultrasounds during pregnancy as a possible risk factor. But a comprehensive multisite study of more than 1,500 pregnancies that found no link between autism and ultrasound use was published as recently as 2023. And scientists definitively ruled out the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as a cause of autism a decade ago (and again in 2019). In addition, the primary study that had suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism was found to have falsified data. Despite this, federal officials said in March that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct a study to investigate a link between vaccines and autism. The study will be led by a vaccine skeptic who was previously disciplined for practicing medicine without a license.
How about tackling deadly and preventable diseases instead of the Autism Boogeyman?
Measles for example?
tedunangst · 6d ago
We were too successful in eradicating measles, so now everybody knows somebody with autism, but nobody can remember measles. or polio.
worik · 6d ago
My doctor thought I was being idiotic when I explained I would not discuss possibly incriminating and or humiliating matters with them if they wrote notes for their system
"Totally secure" they said
I was worried about nefarious access. Turns out, I should have been more worried than that.
kcplate · 6d ago
So you won’t discuss possibly relevant information to an expert diagnostician that you are relying on for your healthcare?
Why go at all then?
schrectacular · 6d ago
Ha, you should have gone to the cybersecurity for a diagnosis!
> Instead, the official said, HHS will launch a $50 million research effort to understand the causes of autism spectrum disorder and improve treatments.
Great that they walked it back, but it's hard not read between the lines and see that as "we're gonna waste a pile of money on the question of if vaccines cause autism".
Yizahi · 6d ago
He already said that he will have "cause" for autism in September. I'm guessing he has all the research answers ready about "bad vaccines", straight from the Newsmax or whatever he is watching.
totierne2 · 6d ago
I am in a similar situation. Mental health issue: bipolar as a spectrum not an on/off. It also often has comorbidities. But bipolar is treated first!
totierne2 · 6d ago
There was a doing something about the slightly ill, or healthy at the edge of the overton window, taking away from the extreme cases getting treatment or attention angle. The sceptic might say there is no clear useful additional treatment or attention!
Extreme autism may different. Treated more by Labour rather than chemicals.
apexalpha · 6d ago
I don't know but I would NOT register myself like this with this government. What good could ever come from this?
Yizahi · 6d ago
It's not about doing good. It's about mandatory labor camps, he has already announced in some interview. To be clear, for now he says that those would be voluntary. But when ever did an autocrat establish labor camps and not make them a prison for undesirables?
saxonww · 6d ago
This is a reason people got upset. Nothing about it appeared to be opt-in.
But given that autism seems largely genetic in origin, and RFK has promised a cure, then eugenics is not far fetched
viraptor · 6d ago
Every week a far fetched thing happens for the last few months. Somehow people keep saying the far fetched things will not continue to get too evil...
cjbgkagh · 6d ago
I have autism and in my case it’s clearly genetic given that I also have hEDS which is a common comorbidity that is autosomal dominant. The RCCX genetic theory of giftedness does appear to explain what I’ve been about to observe in myself and others. I’m less familiar with the more extreme levels of dysfunctional autism.
On one had the poor health sucks, on the other hand being gifted is pretty fun.
With the less severe cases that I’m more familiar with I think it is largely treatable, I’m on a long list of meds that have been pretty effective for me. It would be great the end result of this initiative would be the spreading of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge.
With modern understanding of medicine and genetics people can be helped in ways they could not have been before - which would obviate the need for eugenics.
cratermoon · 6d ago
> That seems far fetched
"It can't happen here"
slicktux · 6d ago
Time to switch back to my Casio F91W
Yizahi · 6d ago
There should be a registry of known psychopaths, with mango mussolini topping the chart.
Many countries already have MAID style voluntary euthanasia, and as someone with ME/CFS I know many people pressured into taking that option. So in that way I consider the early stages of Aktion T4 “Life unworthy of life” to already be with us and something I’ve been warning people about.
gerikson · 6d ago
That sounds terrible. Is the pressure coming from medical professionals or caregivers?
cjbgkagh · 6d ago
It’s a very natural progression - an emergent behavior from an aversion to empathy so it’s pretty much pervasive. Generally people think you’re faking it because you look healthy and it’s almost a dare to say if it was really as bad as you’d say surely you’d just prefer to die.
My favorite examples are from people who believe they have a cure all, going for walks, vitamin C injections etc. Then when let them know it doesn’t work, you’ve tried it, it makes you sicker etc they’ll blame you for not doing it right and being difficult on purpose.
It really doesn’t help when the state is quick to diagnose people with hypochondria, and there is the catch-22 of if didn’t manage to fill out the proper forms you don’t have the condition but if you did then that’s a sign you don’t have the condition. And even if you are correctly diagnosed they don’t help, the doctors will push their pet cures like exercise. My aunt had what little quality of life she had left destroyed by doctors requiring her to exercise to keep her disability.
If you complain about a lack of disability support potentially sending you homeless they think they’re helping by suggesting another option you may not have thought of.
I’m very fortunate that I’m well off enough I don’t have to deal with the state and I manage my own health much better than the doctors could. But it happens to people I know and in many cases people who do take up the option do let others know that the reason they’re doing it is because they can’t afford to live anymore and homelessness is practically a death sentence anyway.
And even worse there are a number of fairly effective treatments but few people know about them because of the way medical science works. I was early on the use of GLP1-As and thank goodness that’s now going widespread in patient communities and even doctors - though I think doses should be kept very low. Off label use of GLP1-As for autoimmune disorders, including many mental health issues, is going to be absolutely huge.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-real-reason-a...
Some portion of the rise in autism rates may be unrelated to better diagnosis. The likelihood of having an autistic child increases for older parents, and there is a societal trend toward delaying childbirth across developed countries. Children who are born prematurely are also at a heightened risk of autism, and improved neonatal care means many more of these children are surviving to childhood and beyond.
https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/26/rfk-jr-vaccine-study-of-...
Measles for example?
"Totally secure" they said
I was worried about nefarious access. Turns out, I should have been more worried than that.
Why go at all then?
Great that they walked it back, but it's hard not read between the lines and see that as "we're gonna waste a pile of money on the question of if vaccines cause autism".
Extreme autism may different. Treated more by Labour rather than chemicals.
But given that autism seems largely genetic in origin, and RFK has promised a cure, then eugenics is not far fetched
On one had the poor health sucks, on the other hand being gifted is pretty fun.
With the less severe cases that I’m more familiar with I think it is largely treatable, I’m on a long list of meds that have been pretty effective for me. It would be great the end result of this initiative would be the spreading of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge.
With modern understanding of medicine and genetics people can be helped in ways they could not have been before - which would obviate the need for eugenics.
"It can't happen here"
My favorite examples are from people who believe they have a cure all, going for walks, vitamin C injections etc. Then when let them know it doesn’t work, you’ve tried it, it makes you sicker etc they’ll blame you for not doing it right and being difficult on purpose.
It really doesn’t help when the state is quick to diagnose people with hypochondria, and there is the catch-22 of if didn’t manage to fill out the proper forms you don’t have the condition but if you did then that’s a sign you don’t have the condition. And even if you are correctly diagnosed they don’t help, the doctors will push their pet cures like exercise. My aunt had what little quality of life she had left destroyed by doctors requiring her to exercise to keep her disability.
If you complain about a lack of disability support potentially sending you homeless they think they’re helping by suggesting another option you may not have thought of.
I’m very fortunate that I’m well off enough I don’t have to deal with the state and I manage my own health much better than the doctors could. But it happens to people I know and in many cases people who do take up the option do let others know that the reason they’re doing it is because they can’t afford to live anymore and homelessness is practically a death sentence anyway.
And even worse there are a number of fairly effective treatments but few people know about them because of the way medical science works. I was early on the use of GLP1-As and thank goodness that’s now going widespread in patient communities and even doctors - though I think doses should be kept very low. Off label use of GLP1-As for autoimmune disorders, including many mental health issues, is going to be absolutely huge.