EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, has sparked controversy with his recent comments on autism.
Kennedy described autism as a “preventable disease” and attributed its rise to environmental factors. “These are kids that, this is a preventable disease,” Kennedy said. “We know it’s an environmental exposure. It has to be, genes do not cause epidemics.”
Kennedy highlighted the increase in autism diagnoses, noting that the rate has climbed from one in 150 children in 2000 to one in 31 today.
He stated that his department would investigate potential causes such as pesticides, food additives, and air pollutants.
However, Kimberly Griego, Board President of the Autism Society of Texas’s El Paso branch, disagreed with Kennedy’s characterization. “It is definitely not a disease. It is considered a disorder because there is no known cause,” Griego said.
She expressed concern that Kennedy’s comments might mislead parents of newly diagnosed children. “I believe that this is damaging because it leaves parents, especially of newly diagnosed children, to possibly believe that there’s nothing more that they should expect from their children. They’re capable of so much more if we just don’t try and put them in the box,” she said.
Hector Adame, CEO of the Autism and Behavioral Pediatric Clinic, also challenged Kennedy’s assertions. “It’s more like thinking like correlations. There’s no cost. We just see if you if one of your parents has autism, there’s just a higher chance that your child will have autism,” Adame said.
He emphasized the importance of focusing on support and resources for children with autism. “I would say a good conversation would be like, what do we do with those kids, the ones that now have autism? How can we allocate resources to get them the treatment they need?” Adame added.
Despite the controversy, Adame acknowledged that Kennedy’s attention to the issue could benefit the community, as research into autism requires ongoing funding and support.
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