On Autism, Kennedy Turns Against Science and Reality

During his first news conference as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16 ticked off things he thinks kids with autism will never do, including paying taxes, holding a job, and going on a date. Kennedy’s comments go against science and reality.

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<h1>On Autism, Kennedy Turns Against Science and Reality</h1>
<div>	<span class="byline">Tarena Lofton</span>
		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2025-04-18T18:00:00-04:00">
			April 18, 2025		</time>
		</div>
<p>During his first news conference as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16 ticked off things he thinks kids with autism will never do, including paying taxes, holding a job, and going on a date. Kennedy’s comments go against science and reality. </p><p><em>This slide presentation first appeared on KFF Health News’ Instagram account. If you enjoyed this story from the KFF Health News social team, follow us on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kffhealthnews/">@kffhealthnews</a>. </em></p><ul><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/?share=x">				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/?share=facebook">				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/?share=linkedin">				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20On%20Autism%2C%20Kennedy%20Turns%20Against%20Science%20and%20Reality&body=https%3A%2F%2Fkffhealthnews.org%2FMjAxNzc3Nw&share=email">				Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/#print?share=print">				Click to print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li><li>				<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/view/republish/">					Republish This Story				</a>			</li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p><p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/on-autism-kennedy-turns-against-science-and-reality/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://kffhealthnews.org">KFF Health News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://kffhealthnews.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/kffhealthnews-icon.png?w=150" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://kffhealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=2017777&amp;ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p>

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