RFK Jr. Has It All Wrong on Autism

Beyond stripping money away from special education — funding that’s required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and other laws — one of the worst threats to kids with autism by the Trump administration is a profound misunderstanding of autism itself.

In recent public appearances, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blamed parents for causing autism, said it “destroys families” and has claimed it makes people incapable of such everyday functions as dating, playing baseball, holding a job or even using the bathroom on their own. In reality, more than 60 percent of adults with autism hold down a job and at least a couple of professional baseball players have autism.

Two AFT members who work in special education, a teacher and a paraprofessional, have some thoughts on RFK Jr.’s remarks.

Jeff Whittle: I have worked in a Michigan school district with special needs students for over 30 years, with 25 of them in an autistic/spectrum disorder program. In the secondary and postsecondary programs I’ve worked in, we helped students develop job skills at school and at businesses. When I heard what Robert Kennedy Jr. said, I and so many others felt devastated and angry.

Lia Council: I teach in New York state, and here you have to have at least three hours of an approved training course in autism to get certified as a teacher, which isn’t a lot. But many of us continue to learn about autism through professional development. People like RFK Jr. don’t have a current understanding of autism. It’s hard to take him seriously.

Whittle: To be honest, I needed some time to process what he said about autism and people with autism/spectrum disorder. My frustration and anger have not subsided.

Council: My reaction to RFK Jr. is laughter. I feel like he’s in this alternate universe. I can’t believe we’re living in a time with so many scientific advances, when the world should be getting smarter — but we’re getting dumber. It’s comical. It’s just so strange.

Whittle: A review of some things RFK Jr. said shows just how misinformed he is:

“Autism destroys families, but more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children.”

“These are kids who, many of them, were fully functional and regressed because of some environmental exposure.”

“These are kids who will never pay taxes.”

What? Statements like these are extremely harmful to families and people diagnosed with autism/spectrum disorder.

Council: It’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but when RFK Jr. says people with autism will never pay taxes — well, maybe he’s right. Elon Musk has said he has Asperger’s syndrome, a condition now considered to be on the autism spectrum, and he doesn’t pay taxes. But seriously, that comment is ridiculous. People with autism can be just as successful as those who don’t have it.

Whittle: And he didn’t stop there. He went on to say: “They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many [yes, he said many] of them will never use a toilet unassisted. And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children.”

Council: “We’re doing this to our children?” We’re doing what, exactly?

Whittle: RFK Jr.’s statements are shocking. Given his position and power as HHS secretary, he shows a degree of ignorance the likes of which I’ve never seen. Add to it that he’s not a doctor and has no schooling in disability research. And yet, he’s an expert? Come on.

First of all, he says environmental exposure to toxins causes a normally developing child to acquire autism. What?

In the work of special educators, mental health professionals, occupational and physical therapists, speech staff and social workers, we would offer a very different narrative.

When I started work in 1991, I asked a lot of questions. I remember one time in those early days being given a fact sheet. There were 10 characteristics used to diagnose a person with autism. Before autism was widely understood, people with autism were often given the diagnosis of schizophrenia, or as having been born from a “refrigerator mother” who was cold and uncaring.

Now, as more is understood and science advances, autism has grown to encompass a wide spectrum of abilities and traits — not just 10 characteristics.

Council: Of RFK’s comments, the most off-putting for me was his negation of autism as a spectrum disorder. There may be some who never use a toilet unassisted, but there are others who are independent and highly functioning. He spoke in generalities, saying all, all, all. Those who understand autism typically will say, “When you’ve seen one person with autism, you’ve seen one person with autism.”

And I always like to remind people that all behavior is a form of communication. When someone moans, they’re trying to say something. They’re communicating, but just in a different way. If I went to a country where I didn’t speak the language, I would hope that the people who live there would take the time to try to understand me.

Look, some students with autism may need assistance with daily living skills, while others may be nonverbal. Whatever their need, it doesn’t take away from their value as people, as human beings. Not everyone will be a Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and went on to become famous for her work in the humane treatment of cattle. I’ve had students across the spectrum, each one uniquely special. One of my students even graduated as valedictorian.

Whittle: I would like for any business owner to ask their local schools if there are autistic students available to hire for just a few hours a week. Or set up volunteer times for them to work. These community leaders will see for themselves just how much students with autism can do and how much joy they bring to the job. As a community job coach, I see it every day at our worksites.

Council: Times have changed. The way we treat people with disabilities is different. Years ago, you rarely saw people with disabilities. Many weren’t taught in school; they were put in institutions or kept at home. Our understanding has evolved. Research has advanced.

Whittle: That is so true. But all the strides, gains and recognition made over decades take a hit whenever a person in RFK’s position spews ignorance. It enters thoughts and conversations, even though everything he says has been disproven multiple times over. Yes, I am angry. So are a lot of parents, educators and others when these debunked theories are dredged up.

Council: Speaking of debunked theories, RFK Jr. also clings to the wacky idea that vaccines cause autism. This notion was originally published in a British medical journal, The Lancet, in 1998 by a doctor who used flawed data. Eventually, it was retracted — but by that point, it was too late. Anti-vax fears have lived on long after the truth was revealed. I have friends who still don’t believe in vaccines for that very reason.

Whittle: I would ask that community leaders learn about special ed programs — maybe volunteer at events with special needs kids and adults, and get to know their families. You will see what children with autism can do. You will see that it isn’t this dire picture that RFK Jr. is painting of utter family destruction. These are simply individuals who are at a certain level of functioning at this point in time, who are working on achieving a set of goals and skills. It isn’t where they will be eventually, but simply where they are now.

Council: “At this point in time,” that’s exactly how I feel. We learn every day. As educators, we must try various strategies until we see what works. When we develop relationships with our students and build trust, and implement research-based practices, we can get them to learn. Nothing will be able to stop them.

But the downside of all these theatrics from RFK Jr. is that if kids with disabilities think they’re damaged or limited, or if people think they can’t learn, what’s the use of even trying? I reject that way of thinking.

Whittle: People with autism do pay taxes, hold down jobs, have romantic lives, participate in athletics, create beautiful art and poems, and use the toilet unassisted. Maybe if RFK Jr. visited some people with autism, he would know this. He should at least know the athletics part because his family started the Special Olympics.

Council: If RFK Jr. were really concerned about autism, I would think that he would want to put more money into not just finding a cure but making sure that young people with autism have access and opportunities. People on the spectrum need opportunities for inclusion. If you see a need, you’d want to address that need, wouldn’t you?

But finding a simple cause, a simple solution and “getting rid” of autism are comical ideas. We’re absolutely not going to discover a cause for autism by September, the way RFK Jr. thinks we are. And with all of the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to education and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, we risk losing the awareness that has grown around autism and the strides we have made. That’s the tragedy of it all.

If I could have a wish come true, I’d wish for our critics to talk to us, the practitioners. There are so many people doing research on autism. So many educators working on various aspects of it, from the high-functioning students to those who struggle. Invite us all to the table! Let’s have a brainstorming session. Epidemiologists, doctors, scientists, social workers, paraprofessionals, teachers, etc. That’s how you do it. Create a coalition of thought partners who will come together to tackle this issue. That’s my wish.