Did that really mean how it sounded?





After seeing the report today on Autism delivered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr- Secretary of Health and Human services, I am compelled to share my thoughts. First of all, I am not commenting from a political stance, especially because in the case of RFK jr, I am not supportive or unsupportive of him, I honestly haven’t formed an opinion on him yet. As far as the topic of this news conference I am commenting on, some will disagree with me and that is ok. Autism is near and dear to my heart as I have worked with individuals with autism for over 20 years. I also have a few family members on the spectrum. I don’t agree with the way RFK jr is delivering his opinion, however, I think that anyone with an autistic child (as well as a child with anything that has been discriminated against) is going to be defensive. I don’t think he meant “autism ruins families” the way it sounds, I think he is saying Autism has ruined SOME families, same as miscarriage or the death of a child or a cancer diagnoses, or anything life altering. I don’t think he is specifically saying the child with autism ruined a family. I think he is saying that some families or couple’s relationships don’t survive under the pressure. It’s a known fact that many relationships don’t survive diagnosis’s or losses or whatever. Life altering things either make families closer or split them apart. 

I do think it’s important to look at what can be causing the increase. It may be because we are more knowledgeable now with research and many things went undiagnosed for many years, maybe it’s not an increase at all, but it is important to look in to. Many autistic parents blame themselves, they think they may have done something wrong, such as allowing vaccines or other things that have been suspected to cause autism. It’s natural for a parent to blame themselves, I know with my son’s epilepsy, I questioned myself for years, if it was something I did or failed to do as a parent. But Autism or any other condition is not the parents fault. If it is environmental or a vaccine causing it, that is not a parents fault. If you want your kids to attend school, vaccines are required. How can we know if the air we breathe is safe or the toxins in it is causing these things? How can we know an innocent trip to the park didn’t cause something by the chemicals in the pressure treated wood the structures are made out of? My grandson was diagnosed with autism, is it because he was born too early as a micro-preemie or is it because of the medication, vaccines or other things they used to treat him to save his life as an infant? 

I also don’t think RFK jr is saying that ALL children with Autism will never hold a job, pay taxes, write a poem or wipe themselves…his delivery of that sucked, but let’s be honest, the Autism spectrum is wide and there are many people with Autism who will never be independent, but there are also just as many if not more that will be amazingly successful and independent and many in between. One of the things that does anger me is that so many people think that people with Autism are not smart. I’ve heard so many say “he’s got Autism, but he’s smart”… why is that even a question? That is such a misconception. Some of the people I know who are on the spectrum, are some of the most intelligent people I’ve met.

I just wish when topics like this come up, people could look past the person in a political way and without bias to really listen to what is intended. I think people are so easily offended these days, they automatically jump into defensive mode and only hear what they think is offensive. This shouldn’t be about which political party a person supports. I think in the case of this report, most republicans automatically agree because RFK jr. was appointed by Trump and most Democrats automatically get angry and speak out against the research because of who is speaking on it.

So this is my two cents, take it or leave it. As for my autistic friends and relatives, I love you, I see you and you make my world a better place!

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