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RFK Jr. says autism ‘destroys’ families. Here’s what those families want you to know
AP News ^ | Updated 11:39 AM CDT, June 2, 2025 | AMANDA SEITZ

Posted on 06/02/2025 1:19:37 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

WASHINGTON (AP) — Emery Eversoll and her mother shared a good laugh when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that some autistic children will never write poems.

The 16-year-old’s bedroom is full of notebooks featuring her verses. Sometimes, she quietly recites poetry to get through an outburst of anger. Her mother began suspecting she may have autism, in part, because she had memorized every word from a favorite book by age 2.

Still, this Kansas family is optimistic about Kennedy’s plans to launch a broad-based study of what causes autism, the complex developmental disorder that impacts the brain and causes delays in language or learning, social withdrawal and an unusual need for routine. Kennedy has vowed to identify some of the causes of autism, which has been studied for decades, by September.

Kennedy has said autism ”destroys families.” He said children with autism “will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

His comments and his plan to swiftly study its causes, have splintered a community of millions of people living with autism. For some, they were an overdue recognition of the day-to-day difficulties for families with autistic loved ones. To others, Kennedy deeply misrepresented the realities of their disability, provoking concern about his ability to handle a sweeping assessment of the disorder.

Some worry, too, that Kennedy has spent years suggesting that vaccines might cause autism, despite decades of scientific research showing no such link.

Ohio father Scott Copeland, himself autistic and a parent to two autistic children, doesn’t trust that Kennedy will conduct a legitimate study.

“It’d be like standing up and saying you’re going to have the cure for cancer...”

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: amandaseitz; autism; children; rfkjr
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To: Sarah Barracuda
I play senior softball and I know seven friends who have adult children, early 30's and younger, who have moderate to severe autism.

Autism and its symptoms were never heard of when I was growing up in the 50's and 60's.......

41 posted on 06/02/2025 4:06:31 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: butterdezillion

Interesting case—thanks for sharing.

Some of what you are discussing falls into the broad category of “emotional intelligence”.

I went to leftist schools (especially college) and I disagreed with almost every word out of many teacher’s mouths—but I made a game out of it.

Instead of confronting them directly (and showing my hand) I would search for their own contradictions and very politely ask them to explain them. It could get rather amusing at times.

I learned the “correct” answers for the tests and could give the “required” answers even when I knew they were wrong.

Part of “emotional intelligence” is not taking any of it personally. I just viewed them as idiots in a world of mostly idiots—and that was their problem and not mine.

Lol.


42 posted on 06/02/2025 4:08:06 PM PDT by cgbg (It was not us. It was them--all along.)
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To: Jim W N
Since when did politicians like RFK, Jr. become doctors and medical experts?

Who in the govt. before RFK, Jr. ever brought up the epidemic of autism? It doesn't take an expert to recognize autism, so why are you attacking RFK, Jr. for finally bringing attention to this ignored epidemic?

43 posted on 06/02/2025 4:10:12 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: Mean Daddy

My aunt believes that her son got autism because when she was pregnant with him, she had a gas leak in her house and didnt leave til the gas company came to fix it, so she stayed in the house smelling the gas so she thinks he became autistic from that, is there a connection, I find it hard to believe but I guess anything is possible..her other 3 boys are not autistic he is the only one..its sad, he lives in a home with 3 other adults, its a crappy home but its what the state of CA pays for, the workers steal his stuff, my aunt will get him a jacket or sweater or a stereo and it will just disappear, so yeah of course they stole it but she cant do anything about it so his life is pretty crummy


44 posted on 06/02/2025 4:10:25 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: cgbg

Yeah, he was never able to do that kind of thing like the other kids. It is just not within his power to be dishonest, even when it’s just acting.

Like I said, he thinks differently than most people do.


45 posted on 06/02/2025 4:22:27 PM PDT by butterdezillion
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To: Hot Tabasco

The federal gov’t including RFK, Jr. has NO constitutional authority to meddle in, regulate, or commandeering healthcare.

Period.

Do you want the feds to order you to take vaccines and medial protocol against your wishes??? Do you want your doctor’s appointment’s to be like the DMV???


46 posted on 06/02/2025 6:29:40 PM PDT by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

More Trump genius.....now his admin has the leftist AP defending autism as a good thing.


47 posted on 06/02/2025 7:46:23 PM PDT by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite its unfashionability)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What human being parent in their right mind wants an autistic child? If you have them you love them and carry on, but wouldn’t every parent desire their kid to not have to go thru this or the parents to not have to go thru this? Liberals don’t want a real autism cure just bc its Trump and RFK. How sick is this.


48 posted on 06/02/2025 8:05:07 PM PDT by pangaea6
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To: Sarah Barracuda

That sounds like mental retardation not autistic.🤔


49 posted on 06/03/2025 5:20:04 AM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first, we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Bad journalism.

They wrote: “decades of scientific research showing no such link”

Facts: no clinical studies that address this question


50 posted on 06/03/2025 5:26:49 AM PDT by Degaston
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Vaccines cause brain inflammation and damage. The worst is the Pfizer MMR. Lots of SIDS cases tied to it.

The elites don’t care. They don’t vaccinate their kids which is why they’re so insistent that everyone else does. It’s so the disease can’t spread rapidly to their kids.

Vaccines are pointless as there treatment for nearly all the diseases they address.


51 posted on 06/03/2025 5:41:03 AM PDT by Justa (Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people....)
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To: Sarah Barracuda

After hearing my friends story, I feel for these families because you’re trusting a loved one to strangers.


52 posted on 06/03/2025 6:53:31 AM PDT by Mean Daddy
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