The continuing discussion of autism as some form of epidemic is not only offensive to autistic people but also has no scientific basis.

This week, US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr., announced that they will establish the cause of autism in a matter of months. This is not a credible claim.

Robert F Kennedy Jr. has also announced a study to establish vaccines as the cause of autism. Numerous extensive research studies have shown there is no causal link between autism and vaccines. In fact, no environmental “cause” has been more extensively studied.
Dealing with this discourse at a time when we desperately need to work on building a better future for autistic people is not just frustrating; it is disturbing. 

So much work has gone into making life better for autistic people - here, in the US and globally - and this damaging rhetoric risks setting us on a dangerous trajectory towards undoing this.

We are reluctant to respond to endless baseless claims around autism, but we also want to express our determination to fight for the right path for autistic people. That path means focusing on what matters to autistic people and using research evidence.