"I have never heard someone say so many wrong things one after the other consecutively in a row."
This quote from the series "Schitt's Creek" may be redundant, but it gets the point across, and it pretty well sums up how I felt when I heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent comments on autism. Not only were his comments wrong, they were dangerous. As someone who knows and loves many people with autism, and someone who has somewhat recently realized I'm neurodivergent myself, I was both angry and scared when I heard what he said.
RFK, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, spoke during a press conference last week and commented on the rise of autism cases. One particular segment of his comments has been widely shared, during which he said "autism destroys families." He commented on how kids with autism will "never pay taxes," play sports, write poems, etc. He also called autism an "epidemic" and "a preventable disease," saying it's not caused by genetics and is from "environmental exposure."
His comment came after a report from the CDC showing that Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnoses among children have risen in recent years, which reflects factors like improved screening and better access to services.
When it comes to the specific science, countless studies have been done over the years by people much smarter than me. Many of these studies have not only debunked the idea that autism is caused by things like vaccines (an idea that RFK continues to promote anyways), but have also indicated that autism is likely connected primarily to genetic factors, with some environmental influence. There's a lot of information out there, which I'd recommend checking out. (Of course, fact check diligently, listen to experts, and look at sources with the right credentials.)
But in a general sense, when people question why "there are so many more kids with autism now than there used to be," the simple answer is there aren't. We just know more about them (and therefore know about more of them) now.
It's sort of like how there was a dramatic "rise" in left-handedness in the early 1900s, which wasn't because there were suddenly more left-handed people, but because people stopped being punished for using their left hand. We understand autism better now, stigmatize it less (ideally), and generally diagnose people with it more often.
One of the factors to consider here is that autism is now understood and explained as Autism Spectrum Disorder, reflecting the reality that it is, in fact, a spectrum. This means there are a wide variety of ways autism presents itself, and different people with autism have different levels of needs. Some people need a lot of support and help. Some people are those who fit the stereotypical idea of what someone with autism "looks like." And other people are those you would never know are autistic. In the past, only certain people who presented in certain ways were diagnosed. Now, there's a much wider net.
The fact that autism is a spectrum is a big part of why RFK's recent statements were blatantly incorrect. First of all, thousands, if not millions, of people with autism do all the things he said they would never do on a regular basis. It would almost be laughable how wrong he is if it wasn't scary.
One of the things that got to me was how the very first thing he said autistic children will never be able to do is pay taxes. As if that's what gives their life worth – how productive they can be to society. His following comments could almost make it seem like he's just worried about kids living happy lives, but the undertones were more sinister, as if he's explaining who is valuable and who isn't, acting like autistic people are a problem that needs to be fixed.
Also, when it comes to those with autism who do have more obvious needs and can't do certain things, that doesn't mean that those people are less valuable. Try asking anyone with a high-needs child with any number of disabilities if that child has destroyed their life, like RFK thinks. Yes, caring for someone with special needs is hard, much more than I know. But I'm pretty sure most of those families will tell you how much they love that individual and how much joy they've added to their lives.
Worst-case scenario, RFK's comments get dangerously close to the concept of eugenics. This theory focuses on improving the genetics of the human population. In Nazi Germany, it was used to promote white supremacy and to get rid of those who were somehow "lesser," including those with disabilities. Hans Asperger (whom the term "Asperger's Syndrome," which is no longer used, came from) was an Austrian doctor who studied autism. During the Third Reich, he determined whether he believed autistic children could integrate into society, referring some he thought couldn't integrate to a "clinic" where children were killed as part of child euthanasia programs.
While many will say this isn't what RFK has in mind, and I certainly hope it isn't, it's the place that similar ways of thinking have led to in the past. Even in our own country, one of the reasons people with autism weren't seen as often in the past is that they, and others with disabilities, were regularly institutionalized. I recently learned that I had great aunts and uncles on both sides of my family that were institutionalized. People who were different were hidden away, and often neglected and mistreated.
Seeing those who are different as a problem to be fixed, or gotten rid of, is horrific and wrong. Those with Autism Spectrum Disorder fall under the umbrella term of being neurodivergent, which essentially boils down to being someone who thinks differently and experiences the world differently. And in so many ways, that is a huge gift. Yes, it can also make life very difficult, largely because our society is structured around those who are neurotypical. But rather than try to find ways to cure things that often can't be cured, let's try to find ways to value people for who they are, give them the support and accommodations they need, and benefit from their unique strengths.
Reader Comments(0)