Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. is promising to find the cause of autism.
“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,” Kennedy said during a meeting of President Donald Trump's cabinet.
No one knows why autism rates have spiked in the past 25 years, but scientists think much of it is due to a broader definition of the disorder and better detection. They also say genetics and exposure to chemicals may play a role.
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Among children born in 2012, 1 out of 36 had been identified with autism spectrum disorder by the time they turned 8 years old. Among children born in 1992, that proportion was 1 in 150, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some worry Kennedy’s effort will blame vaccines, which could have a negative impact on public health. Experts have repeatedly debunked the theory that vaccines cause autism.
"Autism is often diagnosed around the same time children receive routine vaccinations, which has led to concerns about a connection—but decades of scientific research have confirmed that vaccines do not cause autism. In fact, vaccines play a crucial role in protecting children from serious diseases like measles," Autism Speaks said.
As measles cases surge throughout the U.S., Kennedy Jr., who has expressed skepticism about vaccines, recently encouraged people to get vaccinated against the disease.
"We encourage people to get the measles vaccine," Kennedy told CBS News. "The federal government's position, my position, is that people should get the measles vaccine, but the government should not be mandating that."
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