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Kennedy Jr. Raises Autism Awareness

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autism perpetuate stigmas

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Health

Many in autism community say Health Secretary Kennedy doesn’t understand their needs

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82% Informative

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has raised the profile of autism more than any other public official.

Many autistic people say Kennedy is exploiting their community and perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

15 advocacy groups say they are “deeply concerned by growing public rhetoric and policy decisions” that fail to reflect the inherent value, rights and diverse needs of autistic people.

There are more than 5 million adults with autism in the United States .

Kennedy has said he didn’t know anyone with autism when he was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s .

Kennedy 's plan to “ Make America Healthy Again ” includes “streamlining” and “restructuring” federal health agencies.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network : 'false idea that autism is caused by an injury makes people more afraid of autistics' White House has promised that services for children with disabilities will be “preserved in full and redistributed to various agencies and departments” Autism advocates worry that key services will be lost in the shuffle.

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informal

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English

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possibly offensive

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not hateful

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not detected

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short-lived

External references

https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/04/trump-and-kennedy-spouting-dangerous-autism-misinformation/https://autisticadvocacy.org/book/start-here/https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/17/administration-for-community-living-acl-hhs-reduction-in-force-congress/https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?url=https://www.cdc.gov/autism/publications/adults-living-with-autism-spectrum-disorder.html https://autismsociety.org/statement-on-robert-f-kennedy-jr-s-comments-regarding-the-cause-of-autism-and-misleading-deadline/https://autismsociety.org/autism-society-of-america-deeply-concerned-about-the-future-of-idea-oversight-following-executive-order-to-close-the-department-of-education/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/ss/ss7402a1.htm https://carescribe.io/blog/what-does-neurospicy-mean/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37792361/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/ss/ss7402a1.htm#:~:text=Record%20abstraction%20was%20completed%20for,9%20or%20ICD%2D10%20code.https://autismsociety.org/leading-autism-organizations-release-joint-statement-on-upholding-scientific-integrity-and-supporting-the-autism-community/?fb-edit=1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39413304/https://archrespite.org/caregiver-resources/how-to-pay-for-respite/#:~:text=Medicaid%20State%20Plan:,and%20TX)%20offered%20this%20option.https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-states-and-communities/https://legacy.nationalcoreindicators.org/charts/?i=12&st=undefined https://autismsociety.org/leading-autism-organizations-release-joint-statement-on-upholding-scientific-integrity-and-supporting-the-autism-community/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833191 https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-speaks-questions-answers-facts#cure https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10551811/https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html https://news.mit.edu/2015/temple-grandin-talk-0318 https://autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20Autism%20Spectrum,with%20autism%20also%20have%20seizures.https://www.theautismservice.co.uk/news/the-history-of-autism/https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-school-your-childs-rights#:~:text=The%20individuals%20with%20Disabilities%20Education%20Act%20(IDEA)%2C,public%20education%20that%20meets%20their%20individual%20needs.&text=If%20your%20child%20has%20been%20diagnosed%20with,access%20to%20the%20rights%20afforded%20by%20IDEA.https://nlawcrdj.medium.com/dismantling-disability-rights-how-the-hhs-reorganization-threatens-generations-of-progress-8c678712e4bd https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge-fact-sheet.html https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/downloads/2024-autism-infographic.pdf https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-autism-cases-health-secretary-ca210c5c37e12d6377a1af16ae4f4fbc https://www.aapd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AAPD-HHS-Letter-Final.pdf https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/03/hhs-restructuring-harms-people-with-disabilities/

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