RFK JR’s Autism Crusade is a Maryland Issue

Commentary by: Courtney Hart

If it didn’t get buried under the (seemingly) millions of news stories, you’ve probably heard that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Secretary of Health and Human Services, has launched a crusade to find the “root cause” of Autism, promising answers by September. This month, he also said he wanted to “build the first national autism registry,” although a couple days later, HHS issued a written statement that there “is not” a registry being developed. 

As a Clinical Social Worker specializing in neurodiversity-affirming practice, my work focuses on individuals, families, and the larger systems that shape our experiences. Rather than asking “What’s wrong and how do we fix it?”, social workers are trained in the social model of disability and ask “What barriers exist, and how can we build upon your strengths to navigate them?” Across nearly 15 years, I’ve watched an important shift in the understanding of Autism and a movement toward supporting autistic people and their loved ones rather than finding a “cure.” 

Please note, I intentionally use “Autistic,” the preference of many Autistic self-advocates who see their neurotype as integral to who they are, rather than “person with Autism.” 

The Trouble with (Early) Autism Research

Autism didn’t begin to be studied until Leo Kanner described “early infantile autism” in the 1940s. Research is so young that Donald Triplett, Kanner’s first identified case, died just last summer. (For comparison: we started studying diabetes at least 1,500 years ago.)

Kanner’s work influenced Hans Asperger, a Nazi-adjacent Viennese pediatrician who studied “little professors”, who he described as verbally precocious but socially aloof kids. Asperger sorted disabled children into "useful" (educable) or disposable (needing “curative care”) groups for the Nazi regime, sending many to their deaths.

Since then, explanations for Autism have ricocheted harmfully from “refrigerator” moms who were “too cold” to their infants, childhood schizophrenia, food additives, WiFi, and of course, vaccines. While researchers searched for a cause and a cure, Autistic children and adults faced sterilization, institutionalization, misdiagnosis, and harmful “treatments” like electroshock therapy, compliance-driven behavior modification, and unethical medical procedures.

Speaking of vaccines, the only peer-reviewed paper ever written linking vaccines and Autism was fully retracted by 2010, originally published in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield. The results have never been replicated and the most recent attempt to reanalyze the data and prove a link was also retracted, three weeks after it was published by Brian Hooker in 2014. 

Today, there is a general global consensus in the research community that genetics are the primary factor explaining Autism with heritability rates somewhere between 50-90%. 

There is no single "autism gene" but rather hundreds of variants that combine together, interacting with the prenatal environment, and resulting in an individual born with an Autistic neurotype, with an experience that falls somewhere on the non-linear, non-static spectrum of Autism. Autistic children come from Autistic parents and vaccines have nothing to do with it, per current, validated, independent research across the globe.

Autism Isn’t a Trend

Donald Trump and RFK Jr. both share concerns about the rise in Autism prevalence. In December 2024, Trump stated that “30 years ago [the prevalence was] one in 200,000… Now, I’m hearing numbers of one in 100, so something is wrong.” Then, this month, RFK Jr. warned children are being diagnosed at an “alarming rate” and that a “preventable disease,” “Autism destroys families…destroys our greatest resource, which is our children…who should not be suffering like this.” However, early prevalence studies estimated rates around 0.5 to 4.5 per 10,000 children (1 in 2,222 to 1 in 20,000) in the 1960-70s. CDC data shows an increase from 1 in 150 in 2000 (children born in 1992) to 1 in 31 in 2022 (children born in 2014). 

To be Autistic is to have a uniquely wired mind and experiences related to sensory responses that vary by context; deeply immersive interests that offer joy and emotional regulation; patterned routines and rituals; and nervous systems requiring repetitive self-regulation through movement or thought. Autistic social communication differs notably from “neurotypical” styles, often favoring direct, authentic expression, information-sharing, differences in using and interpreting non-spoken communication, and using cognitive effort to navigate social relationships. Some Autistic people require minimal support, often masking to navigate society. Others require substantial support with communication, sensory management, or daily routines.

Support and access needs for Autistic people vary widely and by context, and–despite the medical community requiring “functioning” levels and a rating of “mild to severe” when it comes to Autism diagnoses–the spectrum of Autistic experience is non-linear and non-static, influenced by sensory demands, environment, and co-occurring conditions like intellectual disability or mental health challenges. 

Contrary to what RFK Jr. might have you believe, as fact checked by PBS, most Autistic people do grow up to have their own careers, families, and deeply fulfilling lives, if they get the support they need. And, because adults, including Autistic adults, often have children, Autistic adults (who because of assortative mating may self-select another Autistic person to procreate with) are more likely to have more Autistic children. 

Another Alarm to Sound? 

Between assaults on due process, dredging of deep sea minerals, and  the rolling back of protections of disabled students, it’s overwhelming and nearly impossible to decide on a priority. But those who have minds that are naturally attuned to notice patterns, sensitive to the subtle shifts in environment, and perceptive to injustices can see what could be coming next, and quite frankly, it’s a bit terrifying. 

This IS a Maryland issue, and we can’t let the progress we’ve made in the last several years to support Autistic people and their families slide back to a darker era. 

In 2022, we banned seclusion in schools, a practice where students are locked involuntarily into a room by themselves, which disproportionately impacts disabled students. In 2023, Maryland officially designated April as Autism Acceptance Month, choosing the affirming-language amplified by self-advocates over an “Awareness” Month which frames neurotype as disease or disorder. In 2024, we established an Autistic Strategy Task Force, chaired by self-advocate Victoria M. Rodríguez-Roldán. And just this month, Maryland published a Five-Year Strategic Plan for Autism-Related Needs, centering Autistic voices.

But our history also includes reminders of how quickly “good intentions” can turn to surveillance, coercion, and harm when civil rights aren’t prioritized.

Legitimizing discredited figures like Mark Geier, who lost his Maryland medical license in 2012 for prescribing Lupron, a chemical castration drug, to Autistic youth, and potentially working with his son David Geier, who was also sued by the State in 2011 alongside his father for practicing without a license–and is rumored to be working on another federal study of vaccines and autism–fuels harmful conspiracy theories, gives false hope to grieving "autism moms," emboldens the righteous who have plans to “eradicate” the “disorder.” 

The harmful return of rhetoric about Autism "cures" could revive harmful interventions like Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), which despite continual warnings from Autistic self-advocates about ABA’s potential trauma and mixed research and implementation quality, remains widely promoted as the “gold-standard” of intervention. 

And, when RFK Jr. talks about national registries to “track” Autistic people and “wellness farms” where people can be sent to “heal” through “reparenting", he’s just rebranding harmful interventions, institutionalization, or worse. Marylanders know the cost of institutions like The Rosewood Center, which closed in 2009 after decades of abuse, forced sterilizations, and systemic neglect.

The mission of RFK Jr. and those on this newly revived Autism crusade is counter to exactly everything that Marylanders are moving toward. And now we all have a responsibility to protect our neighbors, loved ones, selves, and future children by maintaining recent changes and advocating for more affirming research and approaches to support all Autistic people.

So, how can community members and constituents meaningfully support Autistic Marylanders while pushing back against outdated “cure” rhetoric, vaccine myths, and any hint of an autism registry?

- Learn from Autistic voices. Websites such as Neurodivergent Insights and Neuroclastic publish first-person perspectives, with the latter intentionally amplifying the voices of non-speaking Autistic people. Podcasts like Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint Live and Divergent Conversations center lived experiences and provide neurodiversity-affirming education on Autism and other disabilities. For book readers, you can pick up books by Autistic authors including Sincerely, Your Autistic Child, which includes a chapter by Victoria M. Rodríguez-Roldán, Maryland’s State Coordinator for Autism Strategy,  Unmasking Autism by Devon Price or We’re Not Broken by Eric Garcia. Read them yourself, start a neighborhood book club, or simply recommend a title or article to a friend or colleague. 

- Advocate for respect of the dignity and worth of Autistic people by clearly and consistently speaking out against harmful misinformation and outdated rhetoric. Encourage others to learn about autism from a lived-experience informed perspective, where research is conducted alongside or led by Autistic individuals, highlighting their experiences and support needs over the predetermined hypotheses of medical professionals and psychologists. And when public figures like RFK Jr. spread falsehoods such as claiming Autistic individuals “will never pay taxes, never write a poem, never use a toilet unassisted” it’s important to push back forcefully. Maryland itself stands as proof against these harmful stereotypes: thousands of Autistic Marylanders contribute meaningfully to their communities every day. 

- Engage politically at the local level. Contact your state legislators and express your concerns about the rhetoric of RFK Jr. and Company. Oppose any registry tracking Autistic residents without explicit, informed consent. Urge them to fully fund and implement Maryland’s 2025-2030 Autism State Plan and to follow the guidance of the Advisory Stakeholder Group on Autism-Related Needs (ASGARN). 

- Support Autistic-led, neurodiversity-affirming organizations like The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, headquartered in DC, the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, based in southern Maryland, or The Autistic Women and Non-Binary Network, a larger organization. 

- Push for true inclusivity in classrooms, in employment, in higher education and training. Become an ally, or a self-advocate if it’s safe enough for you to do so, and fight the Maryland that we’re already building, with Autistic voices from “across the spectrum” of varied support needs, political beliefs, internal experiences, external appearance, etc. being heard. 

Maryland doesn’t need an autism registry. Maryland doesn’t need a cure. Maryland needs to continue to lead with Strong Deeds and Gentle Words to create a future where the inherent dignity and worth of all Autistic people is respected and valued and where they and their loved ones are given the support they need and deserve.