"The US Department of Health and Human Services has launched a “massive testing and research effort” involving hundreds of scientists worldwide that will determine “what has caused the autism epidemic” by September, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday. But experts expressed doubt that the research would be done in good faith, given Kennedy’s history of linking autism and vaccines despite strong evidence that the two are not connected.
“We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world,” he told President Donald Trump in a Cabinet meeting. “By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.”
Rates of autism in the US have been rising, to about 1 in 36 children being identified with autism spectrum disorder in 2020, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy suggested Thursday that newer numbers may show “they’re going up again,” to about 1 in 31. In 2000, the rate was 1 in 150.
Researchers who study autism say that rates are on the rise for a few reasons, including increased awareness, broader definitions of what constitutes autism, improved screening tools and processes, and earlier detection. Its cause isn’t fully understood, but factors including genetics as well as advanced parental age, prenatal exposure to air pollution or certain pesticides, and other environmental influences are thought to play a role.
What doesn’t: vaccines."
Meg Tirrell, Sarah Owermohle and Neha Mukherjee report for CNN April 10, 2025.
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