Kennedy Announces New HHS Research Targeting Autism’s Environmental Triggers

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference on Wednesday discussing the results of a CDC study and the continued increase in autism. Kennedy explained that improved diagnostics cannot explain the rise, but it is also due to environmental factors. Secretary Kennedy further pledged that the agency will conduct and analyze existing research to determine the environmental factors contributing to the autism epidemic.

The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence rate among eight-year-olds is now 1 in 31—a shocking figure,” Kennedy said. “Boys face a significantly higher risk, with 1 in 20 diagnosed nationally and as high as 1 in 12.5 in California, which likely reflects the national trend due to its robust data collection. This represents an unrelenting upward trend. Two years ago, prevalence was 1 in 36. Since the first ADDM report in 1990 (covering 1992 births), autism prevalence has increased by 480%, from 1 in 150 children to today’s numbers.”

Kennedy called out the mainstream media for denying the autism epidemic and claiming that the continuous rise in autism is due to improved diagnostic testing.

“Most cases now are severe, with about 25% of diagnosed children being non-verbal, non-toilet trained, and exhibiting behaviors like headbanging, tactile and light sensitivities, stimming, and toe-walking,” Kennedy said. “We must move away from the ideology that these increases are merely due to better diagnosis, recognition, or changing criteria. Table 3 of the ADDM report clearly shows a steady, year-by-year increase over the past decade, confirming the rates are real.”

Scientific American published a response to Kennedy’s press conference and said the secretary was wrong about environmental factors being the primary driver in the rise of autism. Author Stephanie Pappas said researchers have determined that autism is 60-90% heritable and that doctors can find “a specific set of genetic mutations to explain the condition.”

Amanda Sites from the Associated Press told Kennedy that the CDC has found a genetic link to autism and asked if he doesn’t trust that research. Kennedy said, “Genetic markers provide vulnerabilities but don’t determine outcomes alone. You need an environmental toxin. For example, only one in five smokers die from lung cancer due to genetic predispositions. Similarly, low glutathione production, MTHFR gene mutations, or high testosterone increase autism vulnerability, but an environmental trigger is required.”

A 2024 study published in BMC Medicine states “The interplay between genetic predisposition and modern environmental exposures is likely driving a true increase in incidence.” A 2024 study in Current Medicinal Chemistry states “Existing evidence indicates that environmental factors might contribute up to 50% of the variance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk.”

Kennedy did not dismiss that better diagnostic tools have contributed to the rise in autism. He said, “Studies suggest 10–25% of the autism increase may be due to better recognition and diagnosis, but that leaves 75–80% as a real epidemic. That’s what we must address.”

A viral clip from Kennedy’s speech has drawn criticism from some parents of autistic children, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and others. In the clip, Kennedy said “Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this. These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

Senator Warren appeared to respond to this statement on X. She said, “I won’t share RFK Jr.’s lies about autism. It’s disgusting and dangerous. If he had a shred of decency, he would apologize and resign. Autistic people contribute every day to our nation’s greatness. To every kid with autism, I’m in this fight all the way for you.”

Kennedy confirmed that his statement was taken out of context and did not refer to all individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He told Sean Hannity, “There are many kids with autism who are doing well. They’re holding down jobs, they’re getting paychecks, they’re living independently. But I was referring specifically to that 25 percent—the group that is nonverbal.”

The 2015 National Autism Indicators Report found that 51% of autistic youth had difficulty with conversational skills and 25% were socially isolated, meaning they “never saw or talked with friends and were never invited to social activities within the past year.” 58% of young autistic adults worked a job, and they were more likely to be in part-time jobs with low pay. According to the Autism Society, up to 85% of Autistic with a college degree are unemployed or underemployed.

Kennedy said new studies will be announced within two to three weeks to explore connections between environmental toxins and autism. He said the research has, so far, been overwhelmingly focused on genes. Kennedy listed several environmental toxins as areas of inquiry for the upcoming studies, which he said would be “thorough, comprehensive” and provide answers quickly.

“We’ll examine maternal exposures, genetic factors, and environmental toxins like mold, food additives, pesticides, air, water, medicines, and even ultrasound,” Kennedy said. “The EPA identified 1989 as the start of the autism epidemic, so we’ll focus on toxins that became ubiquitous then, affecting all demographics and showing a 4:1 male-to-female ratio.”