RFK Jr. orders HHS to determine the cause of autism by September

px_eliezer_ · 2025-04-10T22:54:31+00:00

As the title says. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a Cabinet meeting with Trump that he is undertaking a “massive testing and research effort” to determine the cause of autism. Autism is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain that presents with a wide range of symptoms that may include delays in language, learning, social and emotional skills. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/rfk-jr-orders-hhs-to-determine-the-cause-of-autism-by-september Folks, this man is an idiot. There are multiple causes to autism (being that it comes in many sizes, shapes, flavors). RFK is in the process being so smug and insulting to the many scientists and physicians who have been involved with autism research and autism patients for many years. By the way, ONE major cause (at least statistically) is relatively older people having kids. Anyway, RFK Junior is the ultimate nepo baby, and what a maroon. Let’s see what crap he produces by “September”.

digitalfutur

px_eliezer_ To be fair, his exact words were:

By September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic

which is one analysis level removed from the cause of autism. Leaves room to equivocate and backpedal, so the next announcement may well use up all 280 characters, instead of 61.

Astyanax

px_eliezer_ Folks, this man is an idiot.

He’s doing something everyone else claimed was impossible. If he succeeds (by whatever measure) he’ll be put up for a Nobel prize. If he doesn’t he can say he tried something no else dared and will be lauded for the attempt.

Pure genius! 😉

broknsymetry

Let me put everyone straight here - RFKjr did not claim anything about the cause of autism, what he stated was by September we will know the cause (excuse for) the autism epidemic. Now you may ask “What’s the difference?”, but there is a huge difference. Look back to the beginning of epidemiology - the Broad Street cholera outbreak in London back in 1854. The cause for the outbreak was found to be fecal contamination of the water at a particular pump that local residents used for drinking water. The bacterium that actually causes cholera was also discovered that year, however, it was not recognized as such until decades later. So the cause of the epidemic was known but not the cause of the disease.

Do we really have an autism epidemic? Many scientists, doctors and epidemiologists believe not - that the real reason for the increased rate of diagnosis is due to…

From Scientific American 2017:

Awareness and changing criteria probably account for the bulk of the rise in prevalence, but biological factors might also contribute, says Durkin. For example, having older parents, particularly an older father, may boost the risk of autism. Children born prematurely also are at increased risk of autism, and more premature infants survive now than ever before

But I wonder what excuse he will find..

JanJ

px_eliezer_
Maybe he’s asking because of personal reasons?

Sparkchaser

broknsymetry RFKjr did not claim anything about the cause of autism,

But……The study will now be led by David Geier, who has falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism.

According to the Washington Post, Geier has touted anti-vaccine beliefs and, along with his father, has published papers, including some that are now retracted, about the “link” between vaccines and autism, which has, once again, been debunked.

Tara Smith, a professor of epidemiology, told HuffPost that she is appalled by this appointment. “The Geiers (David and his father, Mark) were among the first to publish a link between thimerosal [a vaccine ingredient] and autism,” Smith said.
“Geier has a history of publishing shoddy studies in this area. Some papers have been retracted. The Institute of Medicine examined their publications when they looked at the autism/vaccination connection and found them not to be credible,”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/25/vaccine-skeptic-hhs-rfk-immunization-autism/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hhs-study-vaccines-autism-david-geier_l_67e42a1ae4b05205243a5c98
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/health/rfk-jr-autism-vaccines.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/scientists-alarmed-as-us-picks-david-geier-to-lead-controversial-new-vaccine-and-autism-study/ar-AA1BIx9z

px_eliezer_

Astyanax If he succeeds (by whatever measure) he’ll be put up for a Nobel prize.

Nobel Prizes prediction for 2026:

RFK for Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

DJT for Nobel Peace Prize.

DJT also for the Nobel Economics Prize (technically a separate organization).

In their dreams, anyway…! 😉

real_aurgathor

Heat84 Heredity doesn’t actually cause anything.

Well, it can, but that would be another discussion. In case of autism, the role of ‘genetics’ is the one thing that is proven beyond reasonable doubt. Whether that’s just predisposition or something more – that is not known for certain.

GrumpyCanadian

Heat84 But finding the root cause and curing it is probably easier.

As pointed out, that’s not even what they’re looking for, but…

Easier? We have precious little understanding of the brain as it is; how do you realistically expect them to not only discover the root cause, but “cure” it? At best, if they were ever to come up with any useful information, some profiteering pharmaceutical monstrosity might introduce something that they think adequately masks the symptoms, which, of course, affected individuals would have to take forever. Also, “autism” isn’t a one-size-fits-all diagnosis; a “high-functioning” individual has dramatically different needs from one who is non-verbal.

Temple Grandin’s hypothesis was that it is a combination of pre-disposition and subsequent development that determine a person’s outcome. She clearly thinks that there is evidence proving that there are structural differences in the brain of affected individuals and, critically, that one size does not fit all. Furthermore, differences don’t necessarily mean that a person is defective or in need of a “cure”. That viewpoint likely stems from humans being intolerant, and expecting everyone to behave and think in the same way. We might make far more progress by not treating them as defective or “weird”, and instead being accepting and supportive; working to ensure that they are able to develop to their full potential and giving opportunities worthy of the abilities that they do have. It is at least as much of a failing on the part of “everyone” else. Of course, those in power now don’t seem to believe in supporting others or offering opportunities.

real_aurgathor

GrumpyCanadian She clearly thinks that there is evidence proving that there are structural differences in the brain of affected individuals and, critically, that one size does not fit all.

It’s been shown that there are brain differences linked to autism, but whether those differences are caused by autism, or the differences cause autism is not yet known.

Using positron emission tomography (PET) scans, researchers found that the brains of autistic adults have fewer synapses—crucial junctions where nerve cells send signals to and from each other or other types of cells—than the brains of neurotypical people. Furthermore, the research team found that the fewer synapses an individual had, the more autistic features they exhibited. The team published their findings in Molecular Psychiatry on October 4.

The researchers found that autistic people had 17% lower synaptic density across the whole brain compared to neurotypical individuals. Furthermore, they found that lower synaptic density was significantly correlated to the number of social-communication differences, such as reduced eye contact, repetitive behaviors, and difficulty understanding social cues, in these individuals. In other words, the fewer synapses a person had, the greater number of autistic traits they showed.

It is still unclear whether autistic people are born with fewer synapses, or if this difference occurs as a result of living with autism. But PET scans could one day potentially help clinicians anticipate a child’s prognosis and enable the care team to administer appropriate interventions earlier. “This is the dream — to be able to give biologic confirmation to patients and their families,” says David Matuskey, MD, associate professor of radiology & biomedical imaging, and the study’s first author. “That would change everything.”

https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/a-key-brain-difference-linked-to-autism-is-found-for-the-first-time-in-living-people/

Given that autism is significantly more common in males, I’m guessing that it’s a result of something that happens in the womb roughly at the the same time when gender specific development takes place, which in rare cases may lead to incorrect or ambiguous gender.

Sparkchaser

Autistic children

My wife’s family (she is from Ireland). In Ireland, 2 from 1 brother, 1 from another. In the US, 1 from a sister.

Somewhat-Reticent

real_aurgathor one size does not fit all.

An important distinction. And correlation is not causation.

Rook

Heat84 I’m wondering if more kids are being diagnosed with autism these days because autism is understood alot better than it used to be…

👍️ Sounds reasonable.

Astyanax

px_eliezer_ Nobel Prizes prediction for 2026:

RFK for Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

DJT for Nobel Peace Prize.

DJT also for the Nobel Economics Prize (technically a separate organization).

In their dreams, anyway…! 😉

RFK jr would be doing more for his Nobel than Obama did for his even if he doesn’t succeed. 😉

real_aurgathor

Somewhat-Reticent And correlation is not causation.

That should be pretty clear from what I’ve posted.

Having said that, the correlation with genetics is undeniable.

Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects up to 1 in 59 individuals1. Genome-wide association and large-scale sequencing studies strongly implicate both common variants 2–4 and rare de novo variants 5–10 in ASD. Recessive mutations have also been implicated11–14 but their contribution remains less well defined. Here we demonstrate an excess of biallelic loss-of-function and damaging missense mutations in a large ASD cohort, corresponding to ₅% of total cases, including 10% of females, consistent with a female protective effect. We document biallelic disruption of known or emerging recessive neurodevelopmental genes (CA2, DDHD1, NSUN2, PAH, RARB, ROGDI, SLC1A1, USH2A) as well as other genes not previously implicated in ASD including the transcription factor FEV, a key regulator of the serotonergic circuitry. Our data refine estimates of the contribution of recessive mutation to ASD and suggest new paths for illuminating novel biological pathways responsible for this condition.

Editorial Summary:
Analysis of whole exome sequencing data from 2,343 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to 5,852 unaffected individuals demonstrates an excess of biallelic, autosomal mutations for both loss-of-function and damaging missense variants.

Not the easiest read, but it’s a fairly accurate description on the status quo of genetic links: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6629034/

telcodad

GrumpyCanadian Furthermore, differences don’t necessarily mean that a person is defective or in need of a “cure”. That viewpoint likely stems from humans being intolerant, and expecting everyone to behave and think in the same way. We might make far more progress by not treating them as defective or “weird”, and instead being accepting and supportive; working to ensure that they are able to develop to their full potential and giving opportunities worthy of the abilities that they do have.

An example are those called “autistic savants”

“Idiot savant” is an outdated and considered offensive term for individuals with developmental disabilities (like autism or intellectual disability) who have exceptional skills in specific areas, often in memory, math, art, or music. The term literally translates to “learned idiot” and is now generally replaced by terms like “savant syndrome” or “autistic savant”.

Another example are those called “autistic astute,” like the character “Elsbeth Tascioni” from the shows The Good Wife, The Good Fight and Elsbeth:

The terms “autistic” and “astute” can be combined to describe an individual who is both perceptive and intelligent, often demonstrating a unique ability to understand and process information in an insightful way, which can be characteristic of some autistic individuals. Autistic individuals, especially those with high IQs, may display exceptional skills in areas like data analysis, memory, or specific fields, highlighting their capacity for astute observation and understanding.

egeezer

urbanriot What’s the difference?

The difference is that the secretary and person being put in charge of the project have already declared the results prior to being appointed.

@telcodad We have a high functioning autistic teenage relative in our family. He’s good at math and interested in genealogy.
His father was ADHD as a child, so the possibility of genetics is there. His Mom, a speech an behavioral therapist NP, was very diligent in gaining assessments.

I’ve interacted with non-communicative autistic people, and they need a great deal of care and sensitivity when interacting with them.

Rook

egeezer The name of the project might as well be: “Why Vaccines Cause Autism.”

ugly95

urbanriot It’s kind of weird that you get your panties in a bunch with all this “idiot” and “maroon” antics considering that they’re directing funds towards medical research, why do you discount one group of specialists over another? What’s the difference?

This type of rhetoric is getting so tiresome. At some point people need to stop being so naive.

px_eliezer_

egeezer The difference is that the secretary and person being put in charge of the project have already declared the results prior to being appointed.

Well it’s much more efficient that way…! 😉 /s

egeezer

Rook
One might expect that since the condition is being described as “epidemic”, a team of the most experienced epidemiogists would play a significant role in the research.

Also, since multiple factors may reasonably be causative, multiple fields of expertise made up of the most experienced and qualified researchers would be part of the effort.

Open source, transparency and peer review should be foundational to arrive at any conclusions, and political interference into objective scientific study should be aggressively blocked.

« Previous Page Next Page »