RFK Jr. Official Speech and Policy Decisions on Autism in NYT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Granted. Not trying to deny in any manner the research that is needed.

Just making the point that all the possible causes should be explored.

If you're the scientist PP, then you know small research companies are working on formulating vaccines on one or two forms of cancer. I am not a scientist by any means, but have glanced at information on their work. A few decades ago nobody would have said that maybe a vaccine can help prevent cancer. It's fair to say most of us welcome the possibility a vaccine might be able to prevent these cancers.

Causes that have been pretty thoroughly debunked should not “be explored” unless there is a solid new hypothesis. You are completely (willfully?) distorting what RFK is doing. He’s not acting in support of cutting edge science. He’s digging up researchers who were literally committing fraud. And on the other hand, gutting NIH and crippling the kind of innovative researchers who ask those kinds of questions.

+1 RFK Jr has deliberately surrounded himself by fraudsters and grifters while cutting funds for existing research on cancer and childhood diseases. Not an evidence based way to run a country’s public health funds and we will all be sicker because of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childhood vaccine rates in the USA have been dropping since 2020.

If vaccines caused autism shouldn’t we also see a drop in autism?


Cult of stupidy

It’d be too soon.

Different PP - there have been worldwide studies showing that the introduction of MMR didn't increase the rate of Autism. It's been slowly increasing overtime before and after the introduction of MMR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know autism is at least in part genetic because various cousins have kids with autism.
So don't get me wrong. But it does seem like autism has exploded in numbers.

Why don't we keep an open mind and look at all the variables, not just the "accepted" causes?

Remember, Galileo proclaimed the earth was round and almost got burned at the stake for that heresy. He had the temerity to question the accepted flat earth belief of his time.

Not saying RFK Jr. is a Galileo, but at least let's explore potential environmental factors that might be causing susceptible individuals to develop autism.

Once again - if you can string together that set of words into sentences, you can also figure out that what RFK is saying is NOT a question founded in any sort of understanding of the current knowledge of autism. I don’t think anyone objects to research on how pollution affects fetuses for example. But Doge has gutted all of the capacity to do such research. RFK is not a doctor, not a scientist, and is making zero effort to foster legitimate inquiry.

+1

He has zero literally zero education in this matter. Who let's this crap come near their kid's medical decisions? No parent that is a good parent would allow someone with zero education have a say in vaccines.

HHS Secretaries don't issue vaccine recommendations. He is also not DOGE.

He’s doge’s stooge. They picked him because they knew he is an addled fool and they could gut HHS on his watch.

A more interesting question is how far in the mud Makary and Bhattacharya will go. They are contrarions but also actual medical doctors and scientists.

Doge did not pick him. He preceded DOGE. He basically sold his support to the highest bidder. Kamala did not give him the time of day (not that I blame her) so he went with trump. Elon is less able to go toe to toe with people who also have billionaire supporters like Kennedy or are billionaires like Bessent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Granted. Not trying to deny in any manner the research that is needed.

Just making the point that all the possible causes should be explored.

If you're the scientist PP, then you know small research companies are working on formulating vaccines on one or two forms of cancer. I am not a scientist by any means, but have glanced at information on their work. A few decades ago nobody would have said that maybe a vaccine can help prevent cancer. It's fair to say most of us welcome the possibility a vaccine might be able to prevent these cancers.

Causes that have been pretty thoroughly debunked should not “be explored” unless there is a solid new hypothesis. You are completely (willfully?) distorting what RFK is doing. He’s not acting in support of cutting edge science. He’s digging up researchers who were literally committing fraud. And on the other hand, gutting NIH and crippling the kind of innovative researchers who ask those kinds of questions.

DP. But the reality is that a lot of people believe this hypothesis. I actually think that if he comes up with research that does debunk it a subset of the population will be more likely to vaccinate. So there’s certainly value there even if it isn’t cutting edge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t we suffered enough?

He has clearly not read the studies that show eye tracking technology used on infants can help predict an autism diagnosis later on. BEFORE the MMR vaccine is given.

He claims genes can “do no more than predispose” someone to autism- but that is demonstrably false. There are certain genetic changes- chromosomal- that *cause* autism. No environmental impacts. Mild autism and moderate autism and severe autism. They account for 3-5% of diagnoses.

I was 32, yoga/Whole Foods healthy, fit when I got pregnant with my autistic son. Had an air purifier in my home and car. Drank purified water. When we went to genetics, they identified a genetic mutation.

And? Your child is the anomaly. The majority of autistic children do not have an identifiable genetic mutation. Fragile X, Rett, etc. are not commonplace especially among Level 1.

In terms of the impact and support needed, obviously the severe cases and those linked to a genetic disorder are the most important. The increase in level 1 cases is overdiagnosis caused by redefining a personality style as autism.

Agree to disagree. Even level 1 requires an immense amount of resources which most parents can’t afford to provide and public resources are dwindling by the day. Autism at every level is rising and it is an absolute crisis for the country.

The definition of level 1 is literally not that.

Level 1 Autism with UMC Privileged Expectations of Going to an Ivy and Getting a Job on Wall Street and Marrying a Millionaire Heiress may require extensive support, but is not the DSM.

I wish level 1 and level 3 were completely different diagnoses. I hate that they are lumped together. You cannot compare someone who might have some quirks to someone who will need total care for the rest of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t we suffered enough?

He has clearly not read the studies that show eye tracking technology used on infants can help predict an autism diagnosis later on. BEFORE the MMR vaccine is given.

He claims genes can “do no more than predispose” someone to autism- but that is demonstrably false. There are certain genetic changes- chromosomal- that *cause* autism. No environmental impacts. Mild autism and moderate autism and severe autism. They account for 3-5% of diagnoses.

I was 32, yoga/Whole Foods healthy, fit when I got pregnant with my autistic son. Had an air purifier in my home and car. Drank purified water. When we went to genetics, they identified a genetic mutation.

And? Your child is the anomaly. The majority of autistic children do not have an identifiable genetic mutation. Fragile X, Rett, etc. are not commonplace especially among Level 1.

In terms of the impact and support needed, obviously the severe cases and those linked to a genetic disorder are the most important. The increase in level 1 cases is overdiagnosis caused by redefining a personality style as autism.

Agree to disagree. Even level 1 requires an immense amount of resources which most parents can’t afford to provide and public resources are dwindling by the day. Autism at every level is rising and it is an absolute crisis for the country.

The definition of level 1 is literally not that.

Level 1 Autism with UMC Privileged Expectations of Going to an Ivy and Getting a Job on Wall Street and Marrying a Millionaire Heiress may require extensive support, but is not the DSM.

I think what you're describing is called "subclinical", not level 1.

[Anonymous]

here’s the issue w his conclusion.. he’s focusing on the more extreme cases and probably isn’t aware of an ever evolving spectrum that has captured diagnosis of many people in adulthood who have been incredibly successful
He has a sole focus but autism is a very wide spectrum. Honestly i have trouble with how a neuro type can be so incredibly broad. Our older teen was recently diagnosed and we still have an issue grasping it but understand the masking and the toll in takes leading to emotional disregulation. otherwise would never know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:here’s the issue w his conclusion.. he’s focusing on the more extreme cases and probably isn’t aware of an ever evolving spectrum that has captured diagnosis of many people in adulthood who have been incredibly successful
He has a sole focus but autism is a very wide spectrum. Honestly i have trouble with how a neuro type can be so incredibly broad. Our older teen was recently diagnosed and we still have an issue grasping it but understand the masking and the toll in takes leading to emotional disregulation. otherwise would never know

RFK is literally brain damaged. there are any number of level I autistics who could do a 100000% more competent job that he is doing. There are probably some people with more mild Downs Syndrome who would do better than him.

[Anonymous]

He is a eugenicist, pure and simple. What is scary to me is the number of SN parents who like him. I get the challenges of SN parenting, but you are being sold snake oil and that is not the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:here’s the issue w his conclusion.. he’s focusing on the more extreme cases and probably isn’t aware of an ever evolving spectrum that has captured diagnosis of many people in adulthood who have been incredibly successful
He has a sole focus but autism is a very wide spectrum. Honestly i have trouble with how a neuro type can be so incredibly broad. Our older teen was recently diagnosed and we still have an issue grasping it but understand the masking and the toll in takes leading to emotional disregulation. otherwise would never know

I've wondered why they've lumped Asperger's people with profound autism disorder. Aspies are highy functional. Our area is full of them with our tech corridor. Why did they decide to lump them with people who are on the other side of the spectrum?

[Anonymous]

Premature birth is one cause of autism bc the part of the brain that controls social communication develops in the 3rd trimester. Every decade modern medicine allows more preemies to survive. So looks like we have a conundrum here- stop saving preemies to decline ASD and other developmental disorders that come with it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is a eugenicist, pure and simple. What is scary to me is the number of SN parents who like him. I get the challenges of SN parenting, but you are being sold snake oil and that is not the answer.

A friend of mine with an adult son with severe autism doesn’t like him exactly but she at least feels seen. She says she feels that families like her have been made invisible. So, whatever he’s offering to families with severe autism resonates with some of them.

[Anonymous]

He's making a database of people with Autism. They are taking away rights of LGBTQ+ people w.r healthcare, gender affirming care, access ot bathrooms, names/pronouns, and the latest draft budge elimites 998, the suicide emergency line for LGBTQ people. You wonder how people just sat back in the 1930s and "let" the Nazis do what they did. If you don't think they are trying to eliminate autistic and LGBTQ+ people, you need to think again. Why are they focused so much on these 2 groups when there are so many other things that need to be fixed for the average Amercan's every day life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like him or the administration. However, if he can take a different look at this, I am willing to listen to what they come up with. If it's garbage, we're no worse than we're now. If they find something, then it can be discussed on its own merits.

We know that there have been studies of individual vaccine safety, yes. They are properly done and well documented. However, nobody studied the effect of 20+ vaccinations before the age of 18 months. That's a really big question. Those born in 70s, 80s and 90s didn't have as many vaccination at this early an age.

The number of vaccinations in early childhood is a likely suspect. What's wrong with studying that?

Because it has already been exhaustively studied, so much so that it’s basically the only thing that’s been ruled out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like him or the administration. However, if he can take a different look at this, I am willing to listen to what they come up with. If it's garbage, we're no worse than we're now. If they find something, then it can be discussed on its own merits.

We know that there have been studies of individual vaccine safety, yes. They are properly done and well documented. However, nobody studied the effect of 20+ vaccinations before the age of 18 months. That's a really big question. Those born in 70s, 80s and 90s didn't have as many vaccination at this early an age.

The number of vaccinations in early childhood is a likely suspect. What's wrong with studying that?

Because it has already been exhaustively studied, so much so that it’s basically the only thing that’s been ruled out.

Agreed. There are plenty of other things to study. Let’s move on from vaccines.