US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a recent interview that autism is a major crisis—one he believes is potentially even worse than the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an epidemic. It’s bigger than the COVID epidemic in terms of its impact,” Kennedy said during a Sunday radio interview. “COVID mostly affected older people. Autism affects children early in life, just when they should be growing and developing.”

He added that autism can be very hard for families and communities.

Earlier this week, Kennedy had already drawn criticism for saying “autism destroys families” at a press event on Wednesday.

Kennedy has long promoted the false idea that vaccines cause autism, despite there being no solid scientific proof.

The Centers for Disease Control, the world’s premier organization for research into the origins of disease, explains that autism risk is higher in children with a family history of the condition, birth complications, or certain genetic problems.

In the radio interview, Kennedy suggested autism rates are rising quickly and causing more healthcare spending. He warned that by 2035, autism could cost the U.S. $1 trillion a year.

The United States ranks ninth globally in autism prevalence, with higher rates reported in several Asian and Oceanian countries.

Kennedy focused on the problem of  “profound autism,” which affects about 26% of those diagnosed and can include severe symptoms like not speaking, not using the toilet, self-harming, and gut pain. Such individuals may cannot work or live independently and require lifelong care.

Still, CDC experts say the rise in autism diagnoses is mostly due to better screening and a widening of the criteria for diagnosis, not a real increase in cases. At the present time one in 31 of eight-year-old in the US is diagnosed with “autism spectrum disorder”, but this by no means signifies that all such are profoundly mentally handicapped.

As the number of diagnoses of autism has risen, the number of diagnoses  intellectual disability or brain damage has declined, suggesting that one is now replacing the other.

Minnesota’s first lady Gwen Walz strongly criticized Kennedy’s comments. She said they were offensive and ignored the value that autistic people bring to society. “They contribute more to this nation than this man ever will,” she posted on X.

Lawmakers and autism advocacy groups also slammed Kennedy’s language and his plan to launch a large research project on autism. They say calling autism a “chronic disease” and an “epidemic” spreads negative stereotypes and makes it harder for people with autism to be accepted.

Kristyn Roth from the Autism Society of America said Kennedy’s promises to find the cause of autism quickly are giving people “false hope.” She stressed that real science takes time and care.

In his interview, Kennedy blamed the NIH and CDC for not adequately researching environmental causes of autism.

He believes they focused too much on genes and not enough on things like mold, pesticides, food additives, and even vaccines or ultrasounds. He said his team will study these possible causes using artificial intelligence and modern science.

Kennedy was interviewed on WABC 770 AM during the show “The Cats Roundtable” hosted by John Catsimatidis. WABC is a commercial radio station based in New York City.

Sources: The Hill, WABC. NHS.