RFK Jr. says Health Dept. to reveal causes and approach to autism in September

At the Republican administration's cabinet meeting, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that his department is on track to identify specific "interventions" that are "almost certainly causing autism" and possible ways to address them by September.

In April, Kennedy promised to find the cause of rising rates of autism, pointing to the disorder as an "epidemic" and "compensate the families of the injured" to "help affected individuals in living up to all their potentials."

During a cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump asked Kennedy for a progress report, expressing concern about autism rates in the country. “The autism is such a tremendous horror show. What’s happening in our country and some other countries, but mostly our country. How are you doing?” Trump asked.

“We are doing very well. We will have announcements as promised in September, finding interventions, certain interventions, now that are clearly almost certainly causing autism. And we’re going to be able to address those in September,” Kennedy said.

During the same cabinet meeting, Kennedy reiterated his recurring evidence on how environmental factors contribute to autism rates, noting the significant increase in diagnoses since the 1970s.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of autism among 8-year-olds has risen from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 31 in 2022, an increase Kennedy attributes primarily to environmental exposures rather than changes in diagnostic criteria or increased awareness.