Autism Speaks and ASAN Against the Education Offload

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

Project 2025 proposed to turn IDEA into a "no strings" block grant, effectively gutting the law and destroying protections that disability families have long relied upon. During the 2024 race, Trump denied any connection to the project, but now he proclaims it, praising OMB director Russ Vought "of Project 2025 fame."

Trump and Vought are now accomplishing their goal of ravaging the law. Instead of shifting it to a block grant, they have tried firing most of the staff who enforce it. 

From Autism Speaks:

Autism Speaks opposes the decision to move responsibilities of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Department of Justice. This restructuring reverses decades of bipartisan consensus about where special education oversight belongs.

For families, it’s important to know that students’ rights under IDEA and other federal disability laws have not changed. However, moving the federal offices that help make sure schools follow through on those rights to agencies that have not done this work before could affect how families get support when problems arise. This administrative change risks weakening how special education is safeguarded, coordinated, and enforced across our education system.

It creates uncertainty for states and school districts, as decades of work that defined roles, oversight, and implementation of special education programs are redistributed to departments without experience in meeting the school-based needs of students with disabilities. It weakens accountability, by separating responsibility for special education and civil rights enforcement from the Department of Education, where expertise resides and enforcement is closely coordinated alongside general education policy. And it fragments the administration of the services and protections that students and families rely on by dividing special education oversight among multiple departments, making coordination more difficult and increasing the risk of inconsistent support.

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Moving OSERS and OCR to different parts of the government makes it harder for schools to get the funding that they need. Disabled students might not get the resources they need. Many students with disabilities will not be included because of this. All of the offices that have moved to other departments should be moved back to the Department of Education.

The Department of Education said that moving these offices will not hurt parents and students. This is not true. Moving these offices will make it much harder for disabled students and parents to get the help that they need. If a disabled student is not allowed their accommodations, it will be harder for them or their family to get help.

ASAN’s Policy Director, Greg Robinson, said, “Students with disabilities deserve protection. Students with disabilities deserve civil rights. Students with disabilities deserve a government that helps them and cares about them.”

The Department of Education made a bad decision. This decision will hurt students with disabilities. ASAN wants the government to keep OCR and OSERS in the Department of Education.

 

FWIW, Dhillon is deputy assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division is in charge of enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act. And here she is using the word "retarded." https://t.co/qB6R7aX18e

— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) December 30, 2025

IACC Meeting Went as One Would Expect

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and research priorities.

RFK Jr. has stacked it with his own type of people.

Daisy Yuhas at The Transmitter:

Scientists have expressed concerns about last week’s meeting of the newest Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), raising questions about the meeting’s content, process and impact on future U.S. federal funding for autism research.

“The day was slightly unhinged,” says David Mandell, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and former IACC member, who attended the public meeting virtually.

U.S. federal law mandates that the IACC—which coordinates the Department of Health and Human Services’ efforts on autism—convene at least twice annually to develop a strategic plan for autism research. But the latest IACC gathering on 28 April did not deliver on that goal, according to Mandell and other former committee members who listened to the meeting.

Instead, the committee pushed forward three policy proposals in a way that may have violated federal law, according to Mandell and statements by the Autism Science Foundation and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

The main topics in these proposals—profound autism, challenging medical comorbidities and the dangers of wandering and elopement—are worthy of discussion and policy change, Mandell says. “I can make common cause with some of the concerns and ideas that were expressed.”

But completely absent from the agenda was any development of a strategic plan “for conduct of, and support for, autism spectrum disorder research” as stipulated by the Autism CARES Act, former IACC member Alycia Halladay, chief science officer of the Autism Science Foundation, told The Transmitter.

“HHS’ Assault on Autistic People and Public Health”

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

In addition to spreading lies about vaccines, he is hurting autistic people in other ways, too.

From the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network and the American Association of People with Disabilities:

In the last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made many dangerous changes to what it does and how it works. The changes HHS made have hurt public health in the US, especially for autistic people. HHS has done so many things that it is hard to keep up with everything. HHS has also spread misinformation that makes it hard to know how to keep each other safe. That’s why the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) made “HHS’ Assault on Autistic People and Public Health”.

This toolkit talks about: 

• Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr
•  The history of Make American Healthy Again (MAHA)
• How HHS has hurt public health, especially autistic people, in the last year

“HHS’ Assault on Autistic People and Public Health” is available in a Plain Language version and a Formal Language version. There are also detailed infographics. You can use them to find more information about specific issues.

HHS is supposed to support public health to keep all Americans healthy. Secretary Kennedy has done the opposite. It is important to understand how HHS has hurt people and stop them from hurting more. Autistic people deserve to live in a world without our government spreading lies that endanger us. All politicians need to protect their constituents, but we cannot do that until we recognize the harm Secretary Kennedy is spreading.

 
Plain Language Version To download the full Plain Language Version of HHS’ Assault on Autistic People and Public Health click here.

Formal Language Version To download the full Formal Language Version of HHS’ Assault on Autistic People and Public Health click here.

Timeline Infographics

1. Miscellaneous Administration Actions
2. Congressional Actions
3. Funding
4. Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission
5. Vaccine Actions & Outbreaks
6. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
7. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Staffing
8. Autism Actions
9. Public Response
10. Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
11. Vaccine Actions, Outbreaks, & ACIP

I-ACC Meets

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and research priorities.

RFK Jr. has stacked it with his own type of people.

Allison Parshall at Scientific American:

A “shadow committee” of autism researchers and science advocates met in the nation’s capital for the first time on Thursday.

Called the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC), the group rapidly came together as a response to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., overhauling of the federal government’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), which provides guidance on autism research. Kennedy’s 21 new appointees to the committee include several who have promoted a disproved connection between vaccines and autism and who have promoted non-evidence-based and potentially dangerous therapies for the condition.

...

The federal autism committee now has a “striking absence of scientific expertise,” said Craig Snyder, policy lead at the Autism Science Foundation, during the rival group’s meeting on Thursday. “It disproportionately represents the small subset of families who believe, contrary to scientific consensus, that vaccines cause autism while excluding the overwhelming majority of autistic individuals, families and advocates who support evidence-based science.”

The independent group plans to review autism science and recommend research priorities to improve the lives of autistic people—something that many of its members worry the federal committee will no longer prioritize.

 ...

.In 2019 the federal committee began to include a larger number of autistic people as members. Now the federal group has less representation from autistic people than before, and the independent group has only one autistic member. Neither group includes representatives of autism self-advocacy organizations.

“At present autistic people are losing ground on political representation,” says Ari Ne’eman, co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and a health policy researcher at Harvard University. “I don’t think either [group] can be meaningfully said to represent our community at this moment.”

Autism Barbie

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss depictions of ASD in popular culture.  In 2022, Mattel, Inc announced  the introduction of Bruno, the first autistic character in the iconic Thomas & Friends franchise.

A release from Mattel:

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) unveiled today its first-ever autistic Barbie doll created with guidance from the autistic community to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them. This doll invites more children to see themselves represented in Barbie.

Developed for more than 18 months in partnership with ASAN, a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for autistic people that advocates for the rights of the autistic community, this doll joins the Barbie Fashionistas collection, which features the most diverse range of skin tones, hair textures, body types, and various medical conditions and disabilities.

“Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work,” said Jamie Cygielman, Global Head of Dolls, Mattel. “The doll, designed with guidance from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, helps to expand what inclusion looks like in the toy aisle and beyond because every child deserves to see themselves in Barbie."

In close collaboration with ASAN, the Barbie design team made intentional design choices for the autistic Barbie doll to authentically reflect some experiences individuals on the autism spectrum may relate to. The autistic Barbie doll features and accessories include: Body: The autistic Barbie doll features elbow and wrist articulation, enabling stimming, hand flapping, and other hand gestures that some members of the autistic community use to process sensory information or express excitement.Eye Gaze: The doll is designed with an eye gaze shifted slightly to the side, which reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact.Accessories: Each doll comes with a pink finger clip fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones and a tablet.Fidget Spinner: The doll holds a pink finger clip fidget spinner that actually spins, offering a sensory outlet that can help reduce stress and improve focus.

Headphones: Pink noise-cancelling headphones rest on top of the doll’s head as a helpful and fashionable accessory that reduces sensory overload by blocking out background noise.
Tablet: A pink tablet showing symbol-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps (AAC) on its screen serves as a tool to help with everyday communication. Sensory-Sensitive Fashions: The doll wears a loose-fitting, purple pinstripe A-line dress with short sleeves and a flowy skirt that provides less fabric-to-skin contact. Purple shoes complete the outfit, with flat soles to promote stability and ease of movement.

“As proud members of the autistic community, our ASAN team was thrilled to help create the first-ever autistic Barbie doll. It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is. Partnering with Barbie allowed us to share insights and guidance throughout the design process to ensure the doll fully represents and celebrates the autistic community, including the tools that help us be independent. We’re honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud.” - Colin Killick, Executive Director, Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)

As part of the doll launch, Barbie is teaming up with advocates for the autistic community, including mother-daughter duo Precious and Mikko Mirage, autism advocate and creative entrepreneur Madison Marilla, and autistic fashion designer and visual artist Aarushi Pratap, to celebrate their lived experiences and lifestyles. The Barbie team filmed a unique video with them to capture and honor their personal experience with autism and delighted reactions to seeing the autistic Barbie doll for the first time. The video is available to view on the Mattel YouTube channel.

“Dolls have always brought me comfort, stability, and joy. I’ve been collecting Barbie dolls since I was four years old, and now this autistic Barbie will be one of my favorites,” said Madison Marilla, Autism Advocate and Creative Entrepreneur. “My good friend said these words to me, let yourself out and don't hold yourself in, and it taught me how to educate people about autism. This autistic Barbie makes me feel truly seen and heard. I hope all the kids I’ve mentored feel the same when they see her, and I hope people who aren’t autistic feel educated and gain a better understanding of autism when they see this doll.”

Consistent with the Fashionistas dolls representing individuals with type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome and blindness, the autistic Barbie doll was named and created with the community’s guidance to allow more children to see themselves in Barbie. This doll, along with the entire Fashionistas collection boasts over 175+ looks, can help children better understand the world around them by encouraging doll play outside of a child’s own lived experience. It’s yet another step in making the Barbie brand a more inclusive reflection of the children who play with it.

Building on the importance of feeling understood and connected through play, beginning in 2020, Barbie set out to research the short- and long-term benefits of doll play through a multi-year study with researchers at Cardiff University, finding that playing with dolls activates parts of children’s brains involved in empathy and social processing skills. In recent years, the study has continued to build on these findings, suggesting that doll play could help develop social skills for all children, including those who display neurodivergent traits commonly associated with autism.

To celebrate the launch, Barbie will donate more than 1,000 autistic Barbie dolls to leading pediatric hospitals that provide specialized services for children on the autism spectrum, including Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), and Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County. This donation is intended to bring moments of joy, comfort, and representation to the community, reinforcing the power of play to foster connection and confidence.

The autistic Barbie doll is now available on Mattel Shop and from major retailers.

Autism and Health Organizations Denounce the Lies on the CDC Website

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He has now hijacked the CDC website.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control radically rewrote a website addressing false claims linking vaccines to autism. Previously, the CDC had correctly stated that a strong scientific consensus has concluded that vaccines are not associated with autism. The website now falsely claims that this statement is “not evidence-based” and that “studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism have been ignored by health authorities”. These are lies.

A statement from the American Public Health Association and other groups, including the Autism Society:

Our organizations, representing autistic individuals, their families, medical professionals and public health workers, are alarmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting the outdated, disproven idea that vaccines cause autism.

Medical researchers across the globe have spent more than 25 years thoroughly studying this claim. All have come to the same conclusion: Vaccines are not linked to autism.

This false rumor distracts from pressing, urgent issues in children’s health. Amplifying this claim and encouraging unnecessary investigations only worsens parents’ fears; it will not lead to better therapies, improved support for caregiving families, or changes in health care, education, and society in ways that would help children with autism thrive. Rather than devoting needed resources right now to support people with autism and their families in every community, our taxpayer-funded health agencies are using public resources to spread harmful rumors. Autistic people are valued members of society and, like all of us, deserve research that helps health care and other systems address genuine needs. 

Today, our organizations reject this latest attempt to create fear around routine childhood immunizations. Vaccines rank among our greatest medical success stories. Thanks to vaccines, serious diseases that once made thousands sick every year and caused life-long health issues have become rare. We cannot risk losing this progress. Together, we call on the CDC to return to its long history of promoting evidence-based information in the service of protecting the health and well-being of all Americans

 Autism Speaks:

As an organization long invested in rigorous autism research and in supporting autistic people and their families, we believe this change undermines decades of clear scientific consensus. More than 20 years of high-quality research involving millions of children has demonstrated no causal link between vaccines and autism. The few studies that have implied otherwise are extremely limited, methodologically flawed, and have not been reproducible.

Two of the changes are especially concerning:

• It dismisses robust, established evidence. The updated CDC page elevates weak, outdated studies, such as a 20-year-old parent survey of 77 respondents. These highlighted studies do not meaningfully challenge the overwhelming body of research on autism.
• It relies on long-discredited correlations.
The page repeats the claim that autism prevalence “correlates” with the rise in childhood vaccines. This does not mean causation, and this argument has been repeatedly debunked.

Autism Science Foundation:

We are appalled to find that the content on the CDC webpage “Autism and Vaccines” has been changed and distorted, and is now filled with anti-vaccine rhetoric and outright lies about vaccines and autism. The CDC’s previous science and evidence-based website has been replaced with misinformation and now actually contradicts the best available science. The new statement on the site that says ““vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based claim” shows a lack of understanding of the term “evidence”.

Trump's Attack on Special Ed

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics. Many posts have discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues. As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities. He told his nephew Fred that severely disabled people -- such as Fred's son -- should "just die."

Project 2025 proposed to turn IDEA into a "no strings" block grant, effectively gutting the law and destroying protections that disability families have long relied upon. During the 2024 race, Trump denied any connection to the project, but now he proclaims it, praising OMB director Russ Vought "of Project 2025 fame".

Trump and Vought are now accomplishing their goal of ravaging the law. Instead of shifting it to a block grant, they are firing most of the staff who enforce it.

Eric Garcia at MSNBC:

Over the weekend, the Trump administration fired almost all employees in the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The mass dismissals were part of President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought’s attempts to pressure Democrats to cave to their demands, as the government shutdown continues. The firings also fit neatly with Trump’s track record on these issues. Throughout his career, Trump has shown little regard for people with disabilities. As president, he has sought to abolish the Department of Education and tapped Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive with scant experience in education, to neuter the department.

The administration’s decision to remove almost all personnel for the special education office is not just a betrayal of students with disabilities. It also is the final nail in the coffin for Republican support of the idea that people with disabilities can and should access public education so that they can empower themselves and live a fulfilling life.

From the Autism Society:

A broad coalition of national, state, and local disability, civil rights, and education organizations is sounding the alarm over sweeping layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education. These cuts have gutted key offices—including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)—threatening decades of progress in protecting students with disabilities.

These wholesale terminations place fundamental education laws in peril and place millions of children with disabilities at risk who receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These layoffs circumvent the will of Congress and dismantle 50 years of precedent upholding rights for students with disabilities. Without personnel to oversee these laws, the Department cannot provide essential leadership, oversight, guidance, or support to states and schools—jeopardizing students’ access to a free, appropriate public education and hampering the ability of states and localities to serve all students. In addition, the terminations also threaten the vocational rehabilitation system that helps youth and adults with disabilities become employed.

Autism Organizations Speak Out Together

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in campaign politics.   In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues more generally.   As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities.   

He is so bad that organizations that often battle with one another have united against him.

From ASAN:

As national organizations dedicated to advancing the well-being of Autistic individuals, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Autism Society of America, Autism Speaks, The Arc of the United States, Autistic Women and Non-Binary Network, Autistic People of Color Fund, and partners across the disability and public health sectors stand united in our call for science-based decision-making and increased investment in the research, programs and services the Autism community needs to live fully.

We are deeply concerned by growing public rhetoric and policy decisions that challenge these shared principles. Claims that Autism is “preventable” is not supported by scientific consensus and perpetuate stigma. Language framing Autism as a “chronic disease,” a “childhood disease” or “epidemic” distorts public understanding and undermines respect for Autistic people.

At the same time, federal proposals to reduce funding for programs like Medicaid, the Department of Education, and the Administration for Community Living threaten the very services that Autistic individuals and their families rely on. Research must be guided by credentialed experts and inclusive of the complexity and diversity of the lived experiences of the Autism community—not redirected by misinformation or ideology. As leaders in the fields of Autism and public health, we are committed to contributing meaningfully to the ongoing dialogue and initiatives led by HHS.

We urge public leaders, institutions, and media to uphold scientific integrity and work together to strengthen—not weaken—the infrastructure of support for the entire Autism community.

Signed By:
Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Colin Killick, Executive Director
Autism Society of America, Christopher Banks, President and CEO
Autism Speaks, Keith Wargo, President and CEO
The Arc of the United States, Katy Neas, Chief Executive Officer
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Sharon daVanport, Executive Director
Autistic People of Color Fund, Ly Xīnzhèn Zhǎngsūn Brown, Founding Executive Director
Autism Empowerment, Karen Krejcha, Co-Founder, Executive Director
Dan Marino Foundation, Mary Partin, CEO

Full List of Endorsing Organizations (Rolling Sign On):
American Association of People with Disabilities
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
TASH
Allies for Independence
Institute for Exceptional Care
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
American Association on Health and Disability
Lakeshore Foundation
National Health Law Program
Tourette Association of America
Family Voices National
National Down Syndrome Congress
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR)
Epilepsy Foundation
The Center for Learner Equity
Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered
Caring Across Generations
SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
National Disability Rights Network
American Music Therapy Association
Access Ready Inc
Mission Alpha Advocacy

Center for Public Representation

Trump and Kennedy Spout Vaccine Nonsense

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He is now Trump's secretary of HHS.  

Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Today in a cabinet meeting, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised that “by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we will be able to eliminate those exposures.” This alarming claim is untrue, impossible, and ableist. Like the hiring of David Geier, RFK Jr.’s comment is a clear signal that HHS intends to produce rigged and fraudulent research that supports Kennedy and Trump’s pre-existing beliefs in a connection between autism and vaccines.

April 10 Cabinet Meeting:

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: :And we have now the autism rates have gone from now most recent numbers we think are going to be about one in thirty-one from one in twelve. So, they’re going up again from one in ten thousand when I was a kid. And we are going at your direction.

We are going know by September. We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world. By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: So, it was one in ten thousand children had autism, and now it’s one in thirty-one. Not thirty-one thousand, thirty-one. That’s a horrible statistic, isn’t it? And there’s got to be something artificial out there that’s doing this. So you think you’re going to have a pretty good idea,

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: We will know by September. There will be no bigger news conference on that.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: So that’s it. If you can come up with that answer where you stop taking something, you stop eating something or maybe it’s a shot, but something is causing it. It can’t be from 10,000 to… can you imagine that, Marco? That’s a big number. Thank you very much. You’re doing great. Thank you, Bobby.

ASAN on Trump

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in campaign politics.   In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues more generally.   As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities.   

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Today, the administration announced its recognition of “World Autism Awareness Day.” This is a step backwards from the previous administration’s recognition of World Autism Acceptance Day. But this change is far from the only way the Trump administration is turning the clock back when it comes to meeting the needs and protecting the rights of autistic people. From science to services and supports, the government is determined to drag us into a past marked by ignorance and institutionalization. Trump’s statement talks about “opportunities for all Americans to thrive and prosper,” but . From science to services and supports, the government is determined to drag us into a past marked by ignorance and institutionalization. 
Today’s announcement claims that the Trump administration is “prioritizing gold standard research.” In fact, the only autism research the administration has platformed is redoing already thoroughly debunked research into autism and vaccines, for which it has hired a known quack. The administration has also notably made cuts to autism research programs that receive federal funding. This includes millions of dollars in cuts to research and programs aimed at improving the lives of already existing autistic people.

The statement also says that the administration is “increasing transparency” around its autism policies and research. This comes after the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has ended HHS’ policy of accepting public comments during the rulemaking process, and amid a communications freeze at HHS that has brought cooperation between the agency and stakeholders to a halt. The only information about any public engagement around the harmful “Make America Healthy Again” commission was an announcement from Children’s Health Defense, an organization that Kennedy founded, that the MAHA commission would be meeting with the public “on the road.” There has been no confirmation from HHS about whether this is true, and there has been no consultation or communication with autistic-led organizations about the harmful autism policies that Secretary Kennedy has put forward.

The announcement says that there has been “a staggering increase” in autism prevalence. But increased diagnosis is nothing to fear. There have been a number of improvements to our understanding of autism in different groups of people, and improvements to insurance access in America since the 1980s. This includes the passing of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. More people are getting diagnosed because we are getting better at finding and understanding autism. This is why more Black, Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic 8 year olds are being diagnosed than their white peers, for the first time in US history — it’s a reflection of more people getting access to diagnosis.

Today’s announcement says that the administration will “empower [autistic people] to reach their full potential and realize their American Dream.” But autistic people cannot reach our full potential if our access and support needs are not met. The Trump administration threatens our ability to live full lives by making it harder to access Social Security. It is trying to take away lifesaving services by cutting Medicaid and its waiver programs to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. It threatens our inclusion in schools by trying to destroy the Department of Education. And it harms our inclusion in our communities by dismantling the Administration for Community Living.

While short, the statement notably only speaks to people who “[aid] Americans with ASD” and focuses only on children. It completely fails to even acknowledge the existence of autistic adults. This might be because we are aware of how much harm the administration is doing to our community. Or perhaps this statement is also a relic of a time when we were not invited to advocate for ourselves.

Too often, the administration clings to obsolete ideas about our community. Even when it claims to believe that “Americans with ASD have made, and will continue to make outstanding contributions for our country and the world,” it takes pains to define us first by our “challenges.” We see this focus reflected in the administration’s policies, such as when the president publicly blames people with developmental disabilities for a deadly plane crash and attacked Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) programs and when he called for a return to institutions and threatened programs that help us to live in our communities.

The administration claims it is moving us towards a brighter future. This is a lie. It is attempting to drag us backwards to a time before people listened to self advocates, when autism research and advocacy centered around institutionalization and the fruitless search for a “cure.” These priorities were wrong before, and they’re still wrong now.

Autistic adults exist. We live and belong in our communities. The services and data we rely on to do that are under threat because of this administration’s policies. The administration may claim that it is working towards a better future for autistic people, but we cannot ignore its harmful actions. We know how to fight back against this awful rhetoric and these regressive policies, because they are the same policies self-advocates have been fighting for decades. ASAN will continue to resist the Trump administration’s dogged attempts to drag us into the past.

Disability Groups React to Trump's EO

In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 7.5 million children 3 to 21 years old received services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in AY 2022-23.

About 980,000 of them were autistic, up from 498,000 in 2012-13.  Trump is trying to close the Department of Education.

ASAN:

On March 20th, the Trump administration released an executive order calling on the Secretary of Education to take steps to close the Department of Education. The executive order further directs the Secretary to withhold federal funding from schools that support diversity, equity or inclusion efforts. This is an incredibly disturbing idea for the administration to put forward. ASAN condemns this executive order, as well as any further attempts to defund or dismantle the Department of Education.

The Arc:

Statement from our CEO Katy Neas on the Executive Order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. To learn more, read Katy’s op-ed in Newsweek.“Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is more than a policy shift—it will reverse five decades of progress for students with disabilities. While the right to a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities will remain under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, states will struggle to deliver on its promise without federal technical assistance, oversight, and enforcement. Children with disabilities who do not receive appropriate education services will face greater isolation, unemployment, and poverty. We cannot afford to undo the hard-won gains of the past—we must protect the future of every student, because the strength of our society depends on it.

 American Association of People with Disabilities:

AAPD is gravely concerned about the Executive Order, severe staff cuts, and calls to reassign civil rights enforcement functions to other federal agencies that lack the personnel and expertise to take over the enforcement and oversight of vital education laws and programs.

Oversight and Enforcement:

The Department of Education has a key job in managing programs created by IDEA. This law helps about 7.5 million students with disabilities, about 15 percent of all students. The Trump administration cannot end IDEA or its funding without approval from Congress, but it could try to move the management of IDEA to a different agency. This change would drastically impact students with disabilities. No other federal agency has the knowledge needed to oversee special education and protect students’ rights to free and appropriate public education. Students with disabilities rely on federal laws daily to receive support that helps them feel safe and succeed in their education.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces IDEA and Section 504, has already lost nearly 50% of its staff. Shutting down or even reducing OCR’s staff will harm disabled students disproportionately by limiting their access to complaint investigations and enforcement litigation. OCR is one of the main paths through which disabled students can get the learning environment they deserve, and it is already backlogged with disability discrimination cases.

MAHA Commission

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 Another leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.  He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

He is now Trump's secretary of HHS.

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order establishing a "Make America Healthy Again Commission,"  which RFK Jr. will chair. Among other things, it will investigate the causes of autism.  We can expect that the commission will employ junk science to support the lies that Trump and Kennedy have repeated.

Emily Kennard at NOTUS:

Republicans in Congress want to spend taxpayer money to research the repeatedly debunked link between vaccines and autism — all as they continue to cheer on the Trump administration’s cuts to what they consider excessive spending.

So far in his presidency, Donald Trump has aggressively talked up government efficiency, giving Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency aides unprecedented power to review, and cut, federal spending wherever they see fit — including medical research funding. But lawmakers who told NOTUS they’d support more research into whether vaccines cause autism didn’t see it as wasteful or redundant.

...

Republicans largely told NOTUS they shared the same concerns as Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants his administration to look into this disproven link. Just last week, Trump pointed again to the increase in autism diagnoses in children.

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The relationship between autism and vaccines has been studied — and repeatedly debunked. Many peer-reviewed studies and analyses spanning decades have refuted that vaccines can cause autism. Meanwhile, the 1998 study that first tried to causatively link the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism was retracted 12 years later, after the study’s author was found to have altered medical records to support his conclusions.

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Under the leadership of Trump, who has publicly claimed that he believes in the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has founded an anti-vaccine group, claimed that no vaccine has been proven safe and effective, that the recommended vaccine schedule for children is dangerous, and that “autism does come from vaccines,” ASAN is deeply concerned about the call for increased causation research. Trump claimed in December that he would direct the HHS to investigate a connection between vaccines and autism, which has already been proven to be nonexistent. The executive order also directs the Make America Healthy Again commission to look into the “potential over-utilization of medication, certain food ingredients, certain chemicals, and certain other exposures pose to children.” While some of these things may indeed be connected to or cause other disabilities, such as lead poisoning and fetal alcohol syndrome, they do not cause autism. We also ask the president, why, if he is concerned about the link between toxic chemicals exposure for American children, he, in his first term, rolled back many regulations aimed at reducing toxic emissions and, in his second, has cut programs enforcing restrictions on toxic emissions, and pledged to further roll-back regulation aimed at eliminating and decreasing pollutants.

We are deeply concerned at the Trump administration’s commitment to further research thoroughly debunked myths about autism and his disregard for established science and research. We are also deeply concerned about the potential damage caused by President Trump and Secretary Kennedy using official channels and government agencies to promote false “cures” and “treatments” for autism, as well as other disabilities. This will not only decrease American confidence in public health agencies, but also cause real harms, such as the decrease in childhood vaccination in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic and the death of 83 people in Samoa, both attributable to anti-vaccine advocacy and specifically now-Secretary Kennedy. Autism causation research is dangerous, ignores decades of science and research, and ignores the autistic community, which has been insistent that we do not need or want a cure for autism, and that we will fight for the civil rights and services and supports needed for us to fully participate in all aspects of society.

ASAN v. RFK and McMahon

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in campaign politics.   In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues more generally.   As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities.   He told his nephew Fred that severely disabled people -- such as Fred's son -- should "just die."

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network:

Call your Senators NOW and tell them to vote NO on RFK Jr. for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and vote NO on McMahon for Secretary of Education.

RFK Jr. has said things about autism and public health that are not true. These things make him a terrible choice for Secretary of HHS. He is against vaccines which save lives. He questions whether HIV causes AIDS. He wants to use more quack autism “treatments” that could hurt people. He has also suggested putting people who take psychiatric medication in labor camps. These dangerous views should stop him from getting the role. We are upset about his nomination as self-advocates, professionals in health policy, and people who want the government to protect our health and trust science. If RFK Jr. becomes Secretary of HHS, our country’s health will suffer. But there is still time to stop him — call TODAY!

Linda McMahon is Trump’s nominee for the Department of Education, and she shares Trump’s agenda of exclusion and discrimination. The Department of Education works to ensure that every child has access to an inclusive education and to protect students from discrimination. Already, this administration has stopped ongoing civil rights enforcement for students, threatened to defund or even prosecute teachers who teach racial equity or support LGBTQ+ students, and is even planning to dismantle the Department of Education itself. Tell your Senators to vote NO on McMahon!

Next, meet with your Representative and Senators and tell them to OPPOSE cuts to Medicaid! Many disabled people in the US rely on Medicaid for life-saving care and services, but some people in Congress think the government should spend less on Medicaid. If funding is cut, people across the country will lose the services we need to survive. There is no way to cut Medicaid that won’t hurt disabled people who rely on it. We need to tell Congress: no cuts to Medicaid! Learn how to set up and get ready for your meeting here. Can’t set up a meeting but want to speak out for Medicaid? Call your members of Congress — we’ve even got a guide to help you feel prepared! Our elected officials work for us, so make your voice heard!