Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. raised controversy -- again -- by suggesting that families of some Americans with autism should be compensated, calling people with autism "injured."
This comes after Kennedy last week said he has hundreds of scientists on the case and promised a cause of autism will be revealed by September. He has connected autism to environmental toxins and to vaccines, something that scientists say has been disproven.
"We need to identify the exposures that are causing this epidemic and compensate the families of the injured," Kennedy said in a speech.
He said families caring for someone with autism need financial support, adding, some of them will "never play baseball" or "write a poem" and will "never go out on a date" or "use a toilet unassisted."
Kennedy later clarified that he was referring to a specific quarter of those diagnosed with autism, stating, "There are many kids with autism who are doing well." The National Autism Association estimates that around 40% of children diagnosed with autism do not speak.
USA Today and other media outlets reached out for details on the compensation idea -- who would be paid, where the money would come from, and more. So far, no details have been forthcoming.
The New York Times reported that some with autism found Kennedy's comments offensive. “Autism doesn’t destroy families. It’s the ableism that does,” said Tyla Grant, who was diagnosed with autism at 17. She said the secretary was “fear-mongering” and his “rhetoric flattens our existence into this outdated stereotype.”
In an April 15 report, the CDC found that in 2022, one in 31 children were diagnosed with autism by the time they turned eight in the U.S. That's up from one in 36 children in 2020. Many say the rise is based on better diagnostic tools and a broader understanding of autism, a collection of symptoms that affect social interaction and communication.
