That would be reasonable if it was in good faith. RFK is not performing research to gain a better understanding of neurodivergence. He’s looking to affirm his personal opinion by finding a correlation to conflate into causation.

Blaming environmental risk factors for the uptick, he accused the media and the public of succumbing to a “myth of epidemic denial” when it came to autism. He also called research into the genetic factors that scientists say play a vital role in whether a child will develop autism “a dead end.”

He’s rejecting existing findings.

“Genes don’t cause epidemics,” he said. “You need an environmental toxin.”

And prescribing his belief as the correct one.

Do you notice how he said “toxin” instead of “factor” as well? This is an intentional choice of words, framing autism as a disease caused by harmful factors. This is not somebody who is interested in understanding it.

Autism rates among children have increased nearly fivefold since 2000, when the C.D.C. first began collecting data on the condition’s incidence in children. The C.D.C.’s new report attributed some of the increase in autism’s prevalence to more screening for the condition. And researchers have pointed to several other factors, including greater awareness of what autism looks like, more access to services, more parents having children later in life and broader definitions of the disorder.

There’s more awareness and openness about autism than there used to be? How shocking similarity with the “increase” in homosexuality some decades ago. Maybe it’s new-fangled chemtrails turn people gay and autistic.

Mr. Kennedy vowed that under his leadership, the health department would focus on looking into certain substances, like mold and food additives, and parental obesity to try to reverse rising rates of autism in children.

Again, he is not looking to understand what autism is or how it affects those living with it. Those are not words of support for a demographic of disadvantaged people. Those are words aspiring to eradicate an extrinsic medical condition like HIV or cancer.

“These are kids who, many of them, were fully functional and regressed because of some environmental exposure into autism when they’re 2 years old,” he said.

Yeah, because children that young aren’t screened for it.

But again, notice the word choice? “Regressed.” This is somebody who sees neurodivergents as undesireable and beneath himself.

Make no mistake: RFK isn’t promising any other solution to autism than a Final Solution.