04/19/2025
On occasion, the clinicians of CABC feel morally and ethically compelled to address statements made by people in positions of power that are incongruent with the science that underlies our knowledge of autism and the lived experience of those to whom we provide services. On April 16, 2025, Robert Kennedy, Jr, Director of the Department of Health and Human Services stated, among other things, that Autism is an “individual tragedy” and that “Autism destroys families but more importantly it destroys our greatest resource, which are our children.”
We, the clinicians at CABC, are inspired by the Autistic adults, parents, teens, and children with whom we work. Autism is a wide spectrum that affects each individual in unique ways. None of these individuals is a tragedy. Certainly, none of these individuals has been “destroyed” by their neurotype. They are warmly embraced by loving families who celebrate their differences and unique talents even as these families learn to support their need for individual accommodations. To speak of Autism as a disease deepens the stigma that exists in our society regarding neurodivergence and serves to increase the suffering of those autistic people living in a world largely designed for and by allistic (neurotypical) people.
We call on all who currently occupy positions of power across all political parties and traditions to have a discussion about Autism informed by rigorous scientific inquiry rather than conjecture, humility rather than hubris, with a nuanced acknowledgement of a complex phenomenon rather than a simplistic and reductionistic search for quick and easy answers. We call for a discussion grounded in empathy and understanding that respects the lived experience of Autistic people and one that is worthy of those we seek to understand and support.
