RFK and Autism
When I think of RFK, I think about the scariest brand of wellness influencer. A true grifter who spreads misinformation based on biased studies and a lack of understanding. Do I think his INTENTIONS are to ‘do good’? It’s possible. It’s possible he thinks he is helping people/the world. It’s also possible that there are other intentions including his own mistrust of the scientific/medical community.
As a psychologist, admittedly, my understanding of autism was limited for years. I was aware of autism (very stereotypical presentations) and believed that it was not a population I served. Until I realized 30-40% of individuals with eating disorders meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder and I DO work with autistic individuals. When I discovered this deficit in my own knowledge/training, I sought it out and learned about the neurodivergent paradigm. I learned about the high numbers of women who have been misdiagnosed and undiagnosed. I learned that only in the last 30 years, have we really understood autism and those born before 2000 were likely missed unless they had a very traditional presentation.
Rather than seeing this deeper understanding of autism and increased ability to diagnose as a step forward, RFK is sounding alarms related to environmental toxins, vaccines and now Tylenol . He’s viewing the steps forward in science and understanding as a problem. We dont have an autism problem on our hands aside from the messaging coming from RFK and our administration. It’s deeply concerning and regressive.
In the field of psychology/psychiatry, we diagnose conditions based on the DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual). I could write a novel about how flawed the DSM is, however, it is what we have/use. The first edition of the DSM came out in 1952. When I was in graduate training, I utilized the DSM IV-TR and at the beginning of my professional career, we transitioned to the DSM-V which is the most recent edition and came out in 2013.
This means that we have identified, honed, and even removed diagnoses for the past 70 years as science/technology allows us to better understand these conditions. In the DSM-IV, Autism was referred to as PDD (pervasive developmental disorder). Autism spectrum disorder became a diagnosis in the 90s and in the most recent edition of the DSM (DSM-V), Autism spectrum disorder subsumed aspergers meaning individuals who were diagnosed with Asperger’s, are now diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This was an attempt to refine diagnosis and better understand how conditions exist on a spectrum. Presentations are highly heterogeneous yet the media tends to highlight a very stereotypical presentation of autism that I would go so far as to say, is not the most common presentation.
So what does ‘cause’ autism? The quotes indicate how ludicrous this question is. Within the field of medicine and psychology, there is rarely a direct cause. Rather there is a confluence of factors that leads to the manifestation of a condition. As humans we want control and certainty which leads us to seek out the ‘cause’ and that is often futile. We have to understand the most significant factor in most health and psychological conditions is genetics/heritability. The difference being a genetic condition has clear genes identified and a heritable condition does not. We see that autism runs in families therefore it is highly heritable. If a parent is autistic, there is a 50% likelihood their children will be autistic. The reality is that most parents who have children and young adults who are diagnosed today were not diagnosed themselves.
Other factors that have been discovered are related to the prenatal environment. There have been findings that support certain infections/viruses and trauma could increase the risk of developing autism. Again, this is not causal. It’s evident that these factors likely lead to genetic mutations that increase the likelihood of autism. THERE IS NOT CREDIBLE RESEARCH INDICATING A CONNECTION BETWEEN VACCINES, ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS, FOOD INGREDIENTS OR TYLENOL. These claims evoke fear and reinforce wellness rhetoric that drives obsessionality.
RFK is undermining the years and years of scientific research that has allowed us to better understand autism. There has been so much work done to de-stigmatize autism and understand it as a natural human variant.
Is there truth in the statement that ‘life is harder for autistic individuals?’ Yes, of course. But it’s not due to their autism. It’s due to the incompatibility of their autism and our environment. Some autistics need more supportive environments and naturally that can be HARD to establish. Our environment is created for neurotypical neurotypes not a diverse range of neurotypes. We see this with ADHD as well. We need the environment to accommodate the individuals unique needs. We need more acceptance and less stigmatization. Do you know what definitely makes life harder for autistics? Harmful rhetoric about autism.
#autism