Despite decades of established research, misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to run rampant. The constant bombardment of misinformation from fraudulent studies and the current federal administration leaves those with ASD no choice but to fight for truth and respect.
Myth 1: Vaccinations cause ASD
The false statement that vaccines cause ASD has been perpetuated before. British researcher Andrew Wakefield popularized this claim with a fraudulent study published in 1998, where he aimed to prove that the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine caused ASD in young children. Wakefield observed 12 children, with eight of their parents reporting the development of ASD after receiving the MMR vaccine.
According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Wakefield’s case study used no control group, and the cases themselves were cherry-picked. Additionally, children typically receive the MMR vaccine at around the same age that symptoms of ASD tend to show, at around a year and a half.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that since 2003, there have been nine CDC-conducted studies that have continuously found no links between the MMR vaccines and the development of ASD.
Due to consistent inaccuracies in Wakefield’s article, “The Lancet,” an English medical journal, retracted it in 2010. The retraction stated that Wakefield had claimed that the investigations were ‘approved’ by the local ethics committee — though this turned out to be false.
Wakefield was then struck off the UK General Medical Council’s medical registry for offences relating to dishonesty and failing to act in the child patients’ best interests. He is no longer legally allowed to practice medicine in the UK.
Myth 2: There’s an ASD epidemic
Throughout his time as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to spread unsupported claims that there’s an “autism epidemic” running amok in America.
While it’s true that ASD prevalence rates have risen from roughly 1 in 150 individuals in 2000 to roughly 1 in 31 in 2022, according to the CDC, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are more people with ASD in the world; it may simply reflect that more people are finally receiving their diagnosis.
Kennedy had pledged that by September 2025, he’d discover the cause of ASD. It’s now November, and Kennedy has still not been able to find a definitive answer for ASD.
According to Mayo Clinic, while some environmental factors may play a role in ASD, “several genes seem to be involved in autism spectrum disorder.” ASD is a complex condition, and scientists have studied it extensively for decades; however, there is still no straightforward answer for it.
Myth 3: ASD destroys families
During an April 16 press conference, Kennedy said that “autism destroys families” and is an “individual tragedy.”
As someone who was diagnosed with ASD as a young girl, Kennedy’s statement hits very close to home, as I grew up being ashamed by my condition and was often too embarrassed to even tell others I was autistic. Hearing Kennedy’s words on live television brought back a wave of memories of my self-hatred, and it angered me that someone with so little understanding of ASD could preach his false claims so carelessly.
I’m not alone on this, either; others with ASD feel the same. AJ Ingrassia is a fifth-year SOIS student with a concentration in cybersecurity and business management. Diagnosed with ASD as a child, Ingrassia now serves as Treasurer of the Neurodiverse Student Association and works for the Neurodiverse Hiring Initiative, where he helps students on the spectrum find supportive workplaces.
“Honestly, the biggest thing it makes me feel is disrespected,” Ingrassia said. “Autism does not destroy families. Autism brings families closer in a lot of cases… given the family is supportive.”
Kennedy’s statement also declared that kids with ASD “…will never pay taxes, never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date.” I have done all of these things, as have many others with ASD.
What Kennedy and others like him fail to realize is that ASD is a spectrum. That’s why it’s called autism spectrum disorder — because the symptoms can vary greatly among individuals. No two people with ASD will be the same.
“One of the things that I always think of is something one of my friends said,” Ingrassia explained, “which is ‘once you have met one autistic person, you have met one autistic person in the sense that everyone experiences autism a little bit differently.’”
It is important to take away from Kennedy’s statements that no one should be measured by what they can and cannot do. While living with ASD has its challenges, autistic individuals have learned to accept that it’s a part of who they are. And maybe, the rest of the world should learn that too.
“I like to look at it more as we are just fundamentally different,” Ingrassia said. “But different is not bad. Different means out of the box. Different means a little unique… that’s a strength, you know, being someone who doesn’t fit the mold.”
