Autism is Not a Tragedy. Disinformation is.

As a Direct Support Professional who provides career development instruction and social skills training to young adults with autism, I can state with conviction that the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s disinformation about autism at his March 16, 2025, conference not only stigmatizes the disabled community but is dangerous to those with autism. The United States has a dark history of eugenics, including sterilizing, isolating, and hurting this population on American soil and in the guise of medical research. Whether or not RFK Jr. intended to tie eugenics into his speech, disinformation about eliminating autism echoes the same mindset. It is vital that, as a society, we recognize the patterns of the past and how false statements perpetuate negative and untrue stereotypes about people with autism.

I work with people with disabilities daily, managing a career department at a supported living program for young adults.We provide individual career coaching, small group instruction, interview and job preparation, as well as volunteer opportunities within our community. We have a robust curriculum of social and professional skills customized to our students’ needs. RFK Jr.’s statement that “these are kids who will never pay taxes and never hold a job” is false, defamatory, and incredibly counterproductive to an inclusive society. Despite DEIA initiatives, disability laws, and advocacy, people with disabilities often experience discrimination when applying for jobs. In theory, companies and employers may want to hire those with disabilities. Still, frequently, they do not understand the needs of those with autism (through lack of experience, education, and/or willingness to learn) and shut the door on the candidate before giving them an opportunity.

Examples of accommodations someone with autism may need could include written instructions for job tasks or additional prompts to frontload transitions. I can state with certainty and conviction that people with autism want to join the workforce and dream of having jobs. They often need a seat at the table and opportunity, and when the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services states they do not have the ability, it makes that uphill battle an even steeper mountain.

What’s incredibly damaging about these statements above is that RFK Jr. is indicating that by not having jobs and not paying taxes, people with autism do not contribute to our capitalistic society and, as a result, drain our resources instead of contributing. This statement indicates that their worth in society is less than those who pay into our capitalist system and have less value than others. By stating that people will never go out on a date (untrue), it also insinuates that they will never procreate (also inaccurate) and, therefore, will not increase our country’s birth rate. Procreating is also a way to contribute to a capitalistic society by providing the next generation of labor, and assuming an entire population of people cannot have children is an untrue and stigmatizing stereotype.

Autism is not a disease but a neurotype and variation in human neurology that is genetic. The Cleveland Clinic shares that “People with autism diagnoses may excel more in certain areas and need more support in other areas compared to their neurotypical peers.”

 There is no “cure” for autism, and autistic people do not need to be fixed, nor can they be separated from their autism. Getting rid of their autism means getting rid of them, and this is tied to getting rid of people who are “less desirable.” There is a history of people with disabilities with forced sterilization, institutionalism, and murder of disabled people in Nazi Germany and also in the United States. In modern times, discussion of fake cures and harmful interventions can be incredibly physically and mentally damaging. Kennedy’s discussion of creating a database categorizing people with autism is sounding the alarm within the autism community and sparking fear that this is another slippery slope toward eugenics. 

RFK Jr. has been spreading disinformation about autism being caused by vaccines for years (which continues to be scientifically disproven). When he says he wants to eliminate autism, that is physically impossible. That means removing autistic people, and that is the definition of eugenics.

RFK Jr.’s comments that “autism destroys families” and is “an individual tragedy” are perversely horrifying to all of the family members who love their child with autism. It is insulting to special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, board-certified behavior analysts, occupational therapists, researchers, and medical professionals, to name a few, who dedicate their lives and careers to supporting, caring for, teaching, and loving their patients and students with autism. “Autism is not a tragedy but a difference in how a child’s brain works that shapes how they interact with the world around them,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. People with autism bring so much joy, creativity, curiosity, and insight into the world and the those and to those who surround them. Hearing the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s untrue and damaging rhetoric simultaneously makes this Direct Support Professional’s blood boil and heart break.

Am I strong in my opinion on what RFK Jr. said? Yes. Does my career working with people with autism influence my perspective? Absolutely. I am a Direct Support Professional who uses my voice and conviction to educate and advocate. Who would I be if I remained silent?