A new federal research initiative led by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to identify the causes of autism by September, reviving debunked vaccine-autism claims in the process.
Amanda Seitz reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a major autism research effort during a Cabinet meeting with President Trump, who speculated that vaccines or other environmental exposures may be the cause.
- The scientific community has long rejected any link between vaccines and autism, citing decades of research; Kennedy has not explained how his study will differ from existing efforts, nor has he involved leading autism organizations.
- Kennedy hired David Geier — previously sanctioned for practicing medicine without a license and known for promoting discredited vaccine-autism theories — to lead the research project.
Key quote:
“There is a deep concern that we are going backward and evaluating debunked theories.”
— Kristyn Roth, spokeswoman, Autism Society of America
Why this matters:
A new federal initiative to reexamine debunked claims linking vaccines to autism is reviving old fears among scientists, healthcare providers, and autism advocates—many of whom warn this could jeopardize hard-won progress in both autism research and public health. The announcement, made under the Trump administration, includes the appointment of figures who have previously promoted vaccine misinformation, raising concerns that science will take a backseat to ideology. By redirecting public funds toward already-disproven theories, experts caution that the government risks undermining confidence in vaccines like MMR and HPV, at a time when vaccine hesitancy is already contributing to outbreaks of preventable diseases. For many in the autism community, this feels like a step backward, especially when other research — such as examining maternal exposures to pollutants or gene-environment interactions — remain underfunded.
Related: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy linked to autism risk
