Without Federal Oversight, Special Education Will Likely Deteriorate

  In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics. Many posts have discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues. As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities. He told his nephew Fred that severely disabled people -- such as Fred's son -- should "just die."

Project 2025 proposed to turn IDEA into a "no strings" block grant, effectively gutting the law and destroying protections that disability families have long relied upon. During the 2024 race, Trump denied any connection to the project, but now he proclaims it, praising OMB director Russ Vought "of Project 2025 fame."

Trump and Vought are now accomplishing their goal of ravaging the law. Instead of shifting it to a block grant, they are firing most of the staff who enforce it.  A judge has temporarily paused the attack, but the administration will likely find ways to ignore or circumvent the order.

Anna Claire Vollers at Stateline:

The court ruling halting the layoffs is likely just a temporary setback as Trump proceeds with his broader mission of closing the federal department. Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have said their goals are to reduce bureaucracy and return more education responsibilities to the states.

Neither the Department of Education nor the White House, which are operating with fewer communications officers because of the government shutdown, responded to Stateline requests for comment.

Congress has never fully funded special education at 40% per-pupil costs promised to states under IDEA. Funding has fluctuated over the years; in 2024, it was about 10.9%. Federal IDEA funding is expected to continue, though without federal oversight from the Education Department.

Disability rights and education advocates worry that most states don’t have the resources — or, in some cases, the will — to adequately police and protect the rights of students with disabilities.

years have failed to provide adequate special education services, prompting investigation from the feds. Just 19 states meet the requirements for serving students with disabilities from ages 3 through 21, according to the most recent annual review from the Department of Education, released in June.

...
The federal government currently covers less than 12% of the costs of special education services nationwide, leaving state and local governments to foot the rest, according to the National Education Association, a labor union representing 3 million educators nationally. Without federal oversight, critics fear, nobody will hold states and school districts accountable for not spending enough.

In some states, limited state funding means a disproportionate financial burden lands on individual school districts. On average, local districts are responsible for $8,160 per special education student per year, according to a report released last year by education nonprofit Bellwether that studied funding across 24 states.

The US and Canada Will Likely Lose Measles Elimination Status

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

Stephanie Pappas at Scientific American:

If current trends continue, North America could soon become a hotspot for permanent measles transmission. Canada could lose its measles-free designation this week, and the U.S. may not be far behind.

A key measles and rubella committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will meet this week to discuss whether North American countries have lost their measles elimination status, meaning the measles virus has become endemic in those nations. A country is considered to have endemic measles if there has been uninterrupted transmission from a single outbreak of the virus that has lasted 12 months or longer.

Canada has likely already passed that milestone; the country has seen a single outbreak of more than 5,100 measles cases since October 2024, according to its health data. The U.S. is also on shaky ground. A 762-case outbreak in West Texas that started in late January 2025 was declared over on August 18. But health officials are investigating ongoing outbreaks in South Carolina and Utah. If the investigation can link those outbreaks to the original cases in Texas, and if health authorities can’t bring them under control before January 2026, the U.S. may lose its measles elimination status as well.

“I expect we will lose our elimination status,” says David Higgins, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “We are marching right toward that.”

Parents Are Vulnerable to Autism Quacks

 Autism parents are highly vulnerable to pitches for quack "cures."

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

The conventional wisdom is that any kind of treatment is likely to be less effective as the child gets older, so parents of autistic children usually believe that they are working against the clock. They will not be satisfied with the ambiguities surrounding ABA, nor will they want to wait for some future research finding that might slightly increase its effectiveness. They want results now. Because there are no scientifically-validated drugs for the core symptoms of autism, they look outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and FDA approval. Studies have found that anywhere from 28 to 54 percent of autistic children receive “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), and these numbers probably understate CAM usage.

Trisha Thadani at WP:

Wrangling three children with autism consumed Dana Paduchowski’s days in a chaotic swirl, her weeks dissolving into a blur of routines and meltdowns. When the house finally quieted at night, the mother would stay awake for hours scouring the internet for a magic treatment that didn’t exist.

Instead of finding answers, Paduchowski said, she constantly stumbled into expensive “rabbit holes of broken promises.”

Over the past few years, Paduchowski estimates, she and her husband have spent at least $30,000 on unproven alternative treatments for her children: An intravenous therapy to remove heavy metals from her son’s body. A clinic with hyperbaric oxygen chambers. Supplements, new diets and naturopathic doctors. While some helped in small ways, others made no difference. In a few cases, she said, her children became “sick and pale” or regressed.

“I just thought, ‘Oh, we’re gonna get this test, and then we’re gonna get results, and then we’re going to fix this one thing and then he’s going to talk and break out of his autism shell,’” she said on a recent afternoon standing in her kitchen, as 15-year-old Caleb, her oldest, jumped and flapped his arms to an episode of “Sesame Street” blaring on the TV.

“But none of that has ever happened,” she said.

... 

.Fringe treatments for autism have long tempted some individuals and families struggling with the disorder, which is a neurodevelopmental condition that presents itself differently in each person. There’s little evidence of effectiveness for common alternatives to behavioral therapy that are widely cited on the internet, according to a study this year in the Nature Human Behavior journal. Still, the study found, up to 90 percent of autistic individuals reported having tried some type of alternative treatment at least once in their lifetime.

Leucovorin

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for dubious notions about autism.

The history of autism "cures" is a history of dashed hopes and frequent danger.

Julie Steenhuysen at  The Independent:

A drug endorsed by the Donald Trump administration which allegedly treats against a rare disorder that causes autism-like symptoms has triggered a surge in demand from parents, despite a lack of data supporting its use.

More parents in the U.S. are asking for leucovorin, believing it could unlock speech and social connection in their autistic children.

Pediatricians and specialists caution the science on leucovorin in autistic people as the data is limited and does not support widespread use.

...

“My Facebook feed is flooded with parents swearing that leucovorin works,” said Dr. David Mandell, a professor of psychiatry and autism researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

...

Mandell and other scientists and doctors say Trump’s endorsement, without requiring large, randomized clinical trials, leaves practitioners facing emotional pleas from families while lacking data, guidance or confidence to prescribe the drug responsibly.

Leucovorin is approved to treat chemotherapy side effects but can be prescribed off-label for autism symptoms.

"It puts physicians in a very tough position because they're being asked to prescribe something that is not evidence-based," said Dr. Shafali Jeste, an autism expert and head of pediatrics at UCLA, who does not prescribe leucovorin despite repeated requests.

From the American  Academy of Pediatrics:

Autistic children, adolescents, and young adults are valued members of our communities, and they deserve access to evidence-based care supported by high-quality research. Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with diverse presentations and no single known cause. Current research points to a combination of genetic and environmental influences. For decades, autistic individuals have been subjected to treatments based on unproven theories—some of which caused harm with little to no benefit. As such, any new intervention must be carefully evaluated for both its potential benefits and risks before being widely adopted.

At this time, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend the routine use of leucovorin (folinic acid) for autistic children.

Early, small-scale studies have explored its use—particularly among children with documented cerebral folate deficiency—and some findings suggest potential benefit in carefully selected cases. These preliminary results are promising and have laid the groundwork for further investigation.

However, the current evidence base remains too limited to support specific clinical recommendations. Key questions about who may benefit, what dosing and monitoring are appropriate, and what the long-term safety profile looks like have not yet been adequately answered. Larger, well-controlled clinical trials are needed to determine whether leucovorin is a safe and effective option for the broader autistic pediatric population.

The AAP supports research and innovation that improve the quality of life for autistic children and their families. We also recognize the need for any emerging guidance to be grounded in both scientific rigor and respect for neurodiversity.

Pediatricians and prescribing pediatric care providers, including other physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, are encouraged to engage in shared decision-making with families who inquire about or request leucovorin, providing clear information about current evidence and potential risks. Autistic children, adolescents, and young adults benefit from access to robust supports and services based on their individual needs. Pediatricians and other pediatric care providers should work with families to optimize recommended services and emphasize continuation of well-established supports and therapies that are beneficial to the well-being of the child. The AAP does not have prescribing guidelines for leucovorin for the indication of autism. If a pediatrician or other physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner prescribes leucovorin for a pediatric patient, they should prioritize harm mitigation, closely monitor for adverse effects, and support families in navigating complex therapeutic decisions grounded in compassion, transparency, and scientific integrity.

As the evidence base continues to evolve, the AAP remains committed to reviewing new data and updating this guidance accordingly. The AAP supports continued research into all promising therapies that may improve health and developmental outcomes for autistic children, adolescents, and young adults.

 

COVID-19 As Risk Factor

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition.

A release from Mass General Brigham:

Children born to mothers who had COVID-19 while pregnant face an elevated risk of developmental disorders by the time they turn 3 years old, including speech delays, autism, motor disorders, and other developmental delays, according to new research by investigators at Mass General Brigham. The findings are published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“These findings highlight that COVID-19, like many other infections in pregnancy, may pose risks not only to the mother, but to fetal brain development,” said senior author Andrea Edlow, MD MSc, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mass General Brigham. “They also support the importance of trying to prevent COVID-19 infection in pregnancy and are particularly relevant when public trust in vaccines—including the COVID-19 vaccine—is being eroded.”

Other maternal infections during pregnancy have been linked with risk for a range of neurodevelopmental diseases during childhood, and animal studies have shown that immune activation during pregnancy disrupts normal fetal brain development and offspring behavior. To assess the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, investigators analyzed data on 18,124 live births at Mass General Brigham within the peak COVID-19 window of March 2020 to May 2021.

The investigators studied 18,124 mother-child pairs. Among the 861 children whose mothers were SARS-CoV-2–positive during pregnancy, 140 (16.3%) received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis by 3 years of age, compared with 1,680 (9.7%) of the 17,263 remaining children from SARS-CoV-2–negative pregnancies. After adjusting for other influencing factors, SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was associated with 29% higher odds of a neurodevelopmental condition in children.

The investigators also found that males were at higher risk than females. Risk was greatest when infection occurred during the third trimester of pregnancy.

While reducing risk is important, co-senior author Roy Perlis, MD, MSc, of the Mass General Brigham Department of Psychiatry, noted, “The overall risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in exposed children likely remains low.”

First author and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist Lydia Shook, MD, added, “Parental awareness of the potential for adverse child neurodevelopmental outcomes after COVID-19 in pregnancy is key. By understanding the risks, parents can appropriately advocate for their children to have proper evaluation and support.”

Here is a long. growing, and probably incomplete list of other correlates, risk factors, and possible causes that have been the subject of serious studies: 

1. Inflammatory bowel disease;
2. Pesticides;
3. Air pollution and proximity to freeways;
4. Maternal thyroid issues;
5. Autoimmune disorders;
6. Induced labor;
7. Preterm birth;
8. Fever;  
9. Birth by cesarean section;
10. Anesthesia during cesarean sections;
11. Maternal and paternal obesity;
12. Maternal diabetes;
13. Maternal and paternal age;
14. Grandparental age;
15. Maternal post-traumatic stress disorder;
16. Maternal anorexia;
17. Smoking during pregnancy;
18. Cannabis use during pregnancy;
19. Antidepressant use during pregnancy;
20. Polycystic ovary syndrome;
21. Infant opioid withdrawal;
22. Zinc deficiency;
23. Sulfate deficiency;
24. Processed foods;
25. Maternal occupational exposure to solvents;
26. Congenital heart disease;
27. Insufficient placental allopregnanolone.
28. Estrogen in the womb;
29. Morning sickness;
30. Paternal family history;
31. Parental preterm birth;
32. Antiseizure meds
33. Location of forebears
34. Lithium
35. Aspartame
36. BPA
37. Brain inflammation
38. Maternal asthma
39. Infertility
40. Ultraprocessed foods
41. Household chemicals
42. Parental psychiatric disorders
43. Fluoride
44. Fatty acids in umbilical cord blood
45. Maternal inflammation during pregnancy

RFK Jr. Walks Back Tylenol Claim

 A number of posts discussed Trump's support for discredited notions about autism The Sept 22 White House news conference was a firehose of lies. Over last weekend,he posted an unfounded warning about Tylenol.

And Texas AG Ken Paxton filed a suit against the maker of Tylenol.

Nathaniel Weixel at The Hill:

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said there is not “sufficient” evidence that Tylenol causes autism, softening warnings he and President Trump have repeatedly made to discourage the medicine’s use by pregnant women and young children.

During a press conference Wednesday, Kennedy reiterated that pregnant women should use Tylenol only when “absolutely necessary.”

“We’ve all said from the beginning that the causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy … is not sufficient to say it definitely caused autism, but it is very suggestive,” Kennedy said.

“And so there should be a cautious approach to it, and that’s why our message to patients, to mothers, to people who are pregnant, the mothers of young children, is consult your physician, and we have asked physicians to minimize the use to one that’s absolutely necessary,” Kennedy added.

The secretary’s comments came more than a month after he and Trump held a press conference in September to specifically warn pregnant women against taking the medication, without citing any scientific evidence

Casey Means

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

Aria Bendix at NBC:

President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, is likely to face tough questions Thursday on Capitol Hill as senators decide whether to support her confirmation.

If she assumes the role, Means would become the county’s leading public health spokesperson, with the authority to issue health warnings and advisories.

...

Other issues that could arise at Thursday’s hearing include Means’ past comments about childhood vaccinations. In May, she wrote in her newsletter that the “total burden” of the current vaccine schedule is “causing health declines in vulnerable children,” and she linked to a Substack post that suggested vaccines cause autism — a claim that scientific evidence has repeatedly debunked.

In May, Lori Comstock reported at Yahoo:

Casey Means has cited "increasing scientific evidence" from a European doctor that links vaccines to autism. In a newsletter on her website, she linked a study from Dr. Chris Exley who opined aluminum in most vaccines given to children "wakes up" the immune system that triggers autism.

She spoke about autism on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in October 2024, saying that while she didn't think one vaccine was causing autism, she suggested it was synergistic, stating, "But what about the 20 (vaccines) that (kids) are getting before 18 months?"

Measles Outbreaks Are Expensive

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

A release from the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins:

The U.S. has reported more than 1,600 cases of measles to date in 2025, the largest number of cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Effectively responding to a measles outbreak imposes significant costs on national and state governments, healthcare providers, and society. The scale of these costs depends largely on the size of the outbreak, complicating economic calculations and making budgetary planning difficult. New research from the Economics & Finance team at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) expands on previous costing research to quantify the costs of these outbreaks and better estimate how costs scale with outbreak size.

Researchers performed a systematic review to examine the cost of measles outbreaks in 18 states between 2000–2025. They found that the average cost per case was approximately $43,000, ranging from just under $7,000 to more than $243,000. This variation is the result of several factors, including the state the outbreak occurs in, the number of cases in the outbreak, and the number of contacts. Small outbreaks generally have a higher cost per case due to the high fixed expenditures required (e.g., surveillance, measles testing systems, communication systems, and labor mobilization), while large outbreaks have higher overall costs with a smaller cost per case.

A more useful metric may be the fixed cost of a measles outbreak, or the initial costs incurred at the beginning of a measles outbreak regardless of its size. Even a single case of measles triggers an outbreak response and therefore incurs a large initial fixed cost, including case investigation, contact tracing, quarantine, and vaccination. Beyond the initial fixed costs of a rapid health response, incremental costs continue to scale as an outbreak expands. In this systematic review, researchers estimated the fixed cost of a measles outbreak to be $244,480.40, with an incremental cost of $16,197.13 for each additional measles case. Based on recent evidence, using these figures, an outbreak of five measles cases could be expected to cost $325,466.05, while an outbreak of 50 measles cases is estimated to cost $1,054,336.90.

Paxton Tries to Get into the Tylenol Act

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for discredited notions about autism The Sept 22 White House news conference was a firehose of lies. Over the weekend,he posted an  unfounded warning about Tylenol.

Daniel Gilbert at WP:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Tylenol maker Kenvue and its former parent company, Johnson & Johnson, alleging the companies deceptively sold the painkiller despite knowing it could cause autism.

The suit, filed in a Texas state court, comes barely a month after President Donald Trump repeatedly warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol — despite a lack of evidence, acknowledged by his own health officials, that the over-the-counter drug causes the neurodevelopmental disorder. Texas is the first state to file such a case.

Paxton, a firebrand Republican running for U.S. Senate, directly invoked the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in filing the suit.

“By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again,” he said in a statement.

Sarah Rumpf at Mediaite:

Dr. Peter Hotez is a pediatrician, professor, and researcher at the Texas Medical Center whose daughter, Rachel Hotez, has autism. He has long been a critic of the claims by Kennedy and other anti-vaccine activists about the causes of autism.

Reached for comment by Mediaite, Hotez shared links to multiple research studies showing that “the neurodevelopmental processes leading to autism or autism spectrum disorder occur in early fetal brain development through the action of more than 100 known autism genes.”

“There are a few known chemical exposures that can interact with autism genes and lead to autism — the best established one appears to be the anti-seizure medication valproate,” Hotez added. “In contrast, the evidence for acetaminophen or Tylenol is not strong at all,” mentioning the study of 2.5 million children in the Swedish study that found “no significant associations.”

Hotez noted “a more organized autism science initiative to look at additional environmental exposures interacting with autism genes” was needed, “but right now Tylenol is not on any autism scientist’s priority list,” and pointed to a “strong statement” released earlier this year by the Coalition of Autism Scientists on the topic.

Intriguingly, Hotez added, there were also some studies that actually “show a protective effect, meaning Tylenol may actually prevent autism,” including one of the studies that was highlighted during Kennedy’s press conference — “although they forgot to mention that part!”

Trump's Firehose of Lies

 A number of posts discussed Trump's support for discredited notions about autism The Sept 22 White House news conference was a firehose of lies.

 Tom Wright-Piersanti at NYT:

Much of what Trump said during his press conference was untrue. Here’s a fact-check.

Vaccines: The president said that the childhood immunization schedule “loads up” children with too many vaccines — as many as 80 different shots.

The truth: Children generally receive roughly 30 vaccine doses before the age of 18, according to the C.D.C.’s schedule. And there is no evidence for the idea that vaccines overwhelm their immune system or lead to conditions like autism.

Hepatitis B: Trump said the disease was sexually transmitted — and that children should not be vaccinated against it until they are 12.

The truth: The virus is transmitted sexually. But it can also spread through drops of blood on surfaces or skin, and it is highly transmissible during delivery, so doctors recommended the vaccine at birth.

Tylenol: Speaking about the risks for pregnant women, Trump said, “There is no downside to not taking it.”

The truth: Doctors already advise pregnant women to take Tylenol sparingly. But there are some important uses. A high fever, for example, can endanger both the mother and the baby.

The firehose keeps shooting lies. 

TikTok: A Vector for Dangerous Misinformation

 In The Politics of Autism, I examine the role of social media in the development of the issue. 

Dexter McMillan at CBC Marketplace:

Marketplace journalists analyzed 100 videos discussing cancer treatments and another 100 for autism therapies. We found that at least 80 per cent of the remedies in the videos — totalling more than 75 million views — weren’t supported by scientific evidence.
...
Marketplace searched TikTok for cancer videos using the search terms "cancer cure" and "cancer treatment," and for autism videos using the terms "autism cure," "autism treatment" and "autism." Starting with the most viewed, we chose 100 each that featured a treatment or cure.
...
Marketplace journalists also found treatments our experts identified as dangerous among the 100 videos on autism.

One video with 760,000 views claimed that chelation therapy — typically used to treat heavy metal poisoning — can improve communication and behaviour in children with autism.

The medical procedure involves using an IV to administer chemicals that bind heavy metals in the body and eliminate them. The video claimed that removing these heavy metals improves autism symptoms.

In addition to this claim being unsupported by science, the treatment can be dangerous, said Dr. Melanie Penner, a pediatrician and autism researcher in Toronto.

...

Stem cell therapies for autism were featured in at least 14 videos reviewed by Marketplace, racking up 3.2 million views altogether. It involves infusing stem cells into the body using an IV.
...
Penner said the research doesn't support that. Meanwhile, these treatments can have serious complications.

Antivaxxers Making Money

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

Antivaxxers have found lots of ways to make money from their movement.

Michelle R. Smith and Laura Ungar at AP:

Many of the people involved in groups pushing anti-science bills have built lucrative careers on their stance and benefited from the millions of dollars that flow through the movement.

One of Bigtree’s companies was paid $350,000 working on Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 2023 and 2024. A second was paid $184,000 from another Kennedy-affiliated group, the MAHA Alliance, from October to December of last year. In 2023, another anti-vaccine group he leads, the Informed Consent Action Network, or ICAN, paid him $234,000.

After Kennedy was picked as health secretary, Kennedy gave the MAHA trademark to a company managed by Bigtree. Kennedy’s ethics disclosure said he transferred ownership for “no compensation” after making $100,000 in licensing fees from it in the few months he had the trademark.

In an ICAN video on Facebook in August, Bigtree celebrated the group’s successful lawsuit to compel Mississippi to allow religious exemptions from vaccines. Then he said they would “double down” on efforts to change the law in other states where religious exemptions aren’t allowed. Bigtree asked supporters to help by buying a brick for as much as $300 to pave a terrace at ICAN’s offices, where he works.

At The Times, Megan Agnew reports on Andrew Wakefield, whose fraudulent article started it all.  After losing his British medical license, he moved to Texas and made a bundle of money.   

Wakefield thrived in America, speaking at conferences and heralded as a martyr by mothers of autistic children who believed the disorder was caused by a vaccination. He was the father of the modern conspiracy theory. Crowds cheered, fans sobbed, people called him their “Jesus Christ”. It is from these Texan-born groups that Robert F Kennedy Jr, President Trump’s health secretary, was introduced to the same doctrine. Kennedy said in 2019 that Wakefield was “among the most unjustly vilified figures of modern history”.

Today, Wakefield is back on the conference circuit, speaking at events in the UK this month and Austin in November for which he is titled “Dr Andy Wakefield”, despite the fact he is barred from practising.

... 

He has restyled himself as a filmmaker, releasing anti-vaccine propaganda movies, has a multi-million dollar home and a polished reputation. This is the reinvention of Britain’s most infamous fraudulent doctor.

On Saturday night, Wakefield hailed “a revolution in America” over vaccine policy while making a rare public appearance in the UK. He was speaking at an all-day conference at a hotel in York, and told the audience — who had paid up to £150 to see him — of his excitement over Kennedy’s appointment as US health secretary.

Peter Hotez, a researcher of infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said: “Wakefield’s paper was version 1.0 of the antivax movement; before him there wasn’t a link between autism and vaccines. Texas has since become an epicentre of this political movement.”

Lit Review: No Good Evidence That Alternative Medicine Works on Autism Symptoms

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

The conventional wisdom is that any kind of treatment is likely to be less effective as the child gets older, so parents of autistic children usually believe that they are working against the clock. They will not be satisfied with the ambiguities surrounding ABA, nor will they want to wait for some future research finding that might slightly increase its effectiveness. They want results now. Because there are no scientifically-validated drugs for the core symptoms of autism, they look outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and FDA approval. Studies have found that anywhere from 28 to 54 percent of autistic children receive “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), and these numbers probably understate CAM usage.

A lot of people in RFK Jr's MAHA orbit are making a lot of money from supplements. 

Michelle R. Smith and Laura Ungar at AP:

A core criticism Kennedy and his allies repeat about big pharmaceutical companies and the medical establishment is that they are motivated by profits. But the $1.5 trillion global wellness market is big business, too, and it’s benefiting them. Surgeon general nominee Casey Means has made money promoting dozens of health and wellness products, including a blood testing service, and she cofounded a nutrition, sleep and exercise-tracking app. Her brother, Calley Means, a close Kennedy aide, continues his involvement in TrueMed, a company that promotes wellness alternatives.

 There is no good evidence that they help autistic people.

Gosling, C.J., Boisseleau, L., Solmi, M. et al. Complementary, alternative and integrative medicine for autism: an umbrella review and online platform. Nat Hum Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02256-9  Abstract:

The use of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine (CAIM) is highly prevalent among autistic individuals, with up to 90% reporting having used CAIM at least once in their lifetime. However, the evidence base for the effects of CAIM for autism remains uncertain. Here, to fill this gap, we conducted an umbrella review of meta-analyses exploring the effects of CAIM in autism across the lifespan and developed a web platform to disseminate the generated results. Five databases were searched (up to 31 December 2023) for systematic reviews with meta-analyses exploring the effects of CAIM in autism. Independent pairs of investigators identified eligible papers and extracted relevant data. Included meta-analyses were reestimated using a consistent statistical approach, and their methodological quality was assessed with AMSTAR-2. The certainty of evidence generated by each meta-analysis was appraised using an algorithmic version of the GRADE framework. This process led to the identification of 53 meta-analytic reports, enabling us to conduct 248 meta-analyses exploring the effects of 19 CAIMs in autism. We found no high-quality evidence to support the efficacy of any CAIM for core or associated symptoms of autism. Although several CAIMs showed promising results, they were supported by very low-quality evidence. The safety of CAIMs has rarely been evaluated, making it a crucial area for future research. To support evidence-based consideration of CAIM interventions for autism, we developed an interactive platform that facilitates access to and interpretation of the present results (https://ebiact-database.com).