The weaponization of autism
MAHA's war on chemistry is getting feverish
Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler first used the term “autism” to describe social withdrawal in schizophrenia (a term he also coined) in 1911.
Bleuler introduced the concept of primary and secondary schizophrenic symptoms; his four primary symptoms (the four As) were abnormal associations, autistic behavior and thinking, abnormal affect and ambivalence.
While his contributions to psychiatry are noted, Bleulur was a eugenicist with racist and ableist beliefs. He wasn’t exactly kind to those he diagnosed.
Jump ahead to the 1940s. Austrian-American psychiatrist and physician Leo Kanner and Austrian physician Hans Asperger independently describe autism-related syndromes. Kanner’s 1943 paper defined "early infantile autism" as distinct from schizophrenia; Asperger’s 1944 work identified a milder form later termed Asperger’s syndrome.
Though Kanner untangled autistic behavior from schizophrenia, it wasn’t until 1980 that autism was formally recognized as a separate developmental disorder in the DSM-III. This new categorization increased the number of diagnoses, from 1 in 2,000 in the 1970s to 1 in 1,400 by 1987.
Change came again in 1994 with the DMS-IV. Autism was recategorized as a spectrum disorder, encompassing Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder (not otherwise specified). This new classification caused the diagnosis rates to surge to 1 in 150 by the 2000s as experts had better criteria.
The DMS-V, published in 2013, consolidated these subtypes into a single “autism spectrum disorder” (ASD), emphasizing severity levels while removing Asperger’s as a distinct diagnosis. By 2023, the CDC estimated 1 in 36 children had an autism diagnosis, which was attributed to increased awareness, better screening, and broader diagnostic practices, which appear to have offset the more restrictive DSM-5 criteria.
Genetic research in the 21st century identified over 100 genes linked to ASD, underscoring its biological basis. Diagnostic criteria now prioritize social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors, acknowledging diverse presentations across cultures, genders, and cognitive abilities.
That is, instead of treating people with ASD as a problem to be solved, we’ve gotten better at diagnostics and, when necessary, therapies. High-functioning autistic people can excel in society, while others along the spectrum might only require more empathic communications and environments conducive to their needs.
Those near the far end of the spectrum require lifelong care. While estimates vary, approximately 20% experience significant functional challenges necessitating ongoing support.
The spectrum makes it impossible to flatten the diagnosis. Yet that hasn’t stopped Robert F Kennedy, Jr, from doing just that.
An illusion of care
Last week, Robert F Kennedy Jr pledged to determine the cause of autism by September.
That’s five months away.
Any serious researcher knows that such a large-scale initiative cannot be conducted in so short a time. Even credible pilot studies would take longer, yet Kennedy is promising to accomplish what medical experts have not been able to do in over a century of studying this field.
That’s irrelevant because Kennedy isn’t serious. Not science serious. He’s deadly serious when it comes to codifying a link between vaccines and autism. His language reveals that.
"By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures," Kennedy said.
Kennedy has no interest in finding scientific consensus. He hired a known anti-vaxxer to head the very study he intends to weaponize in the fall.
The Department of Health and Human Services has hired David Geier to conduct the analysis, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Geier and his father, Mark Geier, have published papers claiming vaccines increase the risk of autism, a theory that has been studied for decades and scientifically debunked… David Geier was disciplined by Maryland regulators more than a decade ago for practicing medicine without a license.
How Kennedy will mobilize “hundreds of scientists from around the world” remains to be seen. The notion that they'll agree on “exposures” is a farce. There’s precedent: 10 of the dozen co-authors involved in Andrew Wakefield’s vaccines-autism propaganda paper retracted support once they learned the lead author hand-selected children, fabricated their medical records, and was paid for coming to the conclusion cited in the original (later retracted) paper.
It’s one thing to recognize that autism exists on a spectrum and realize people along that spectrum have different needs. It’s another to weaponize autism and call a generation of kids damaged, as Kennedy did earlier today in Indiana.
Many people with autism would not call themselves “damaged.” Since they’re not what Kennedy actually cares about, however, it’s of no concern.
Here’s what is: Kennedy reported making $11 million from his anti-vax work in 2023-24. This includes litigation, speaking fees, book deals, and leading Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit he founded, where he pulled in $20,000 a week.
The “vaccines cause autism” narrative could prove quite lucrative if he’s able to codify it with an appearance of science. Given the ridiculously short timeline of this “study,” it appears a conclusion has already been rendered. Arriving at it will be no problem for a man that’s weaponized autism for decades and now has the full weight and budget of America’s public health system behind him.
The problem will only grow for people with autism, however.
Autistic people (like me) have lived among you forever. I really resent the use of the term “epidemic” because we are not sick nor are we contagious. One would hope that the head of the HHS would be informed enough to know he is using the wrong terminology. Thanks, Derek, for spotlighting the damage that will be done by this administration to Autistic people. All of the good work done by dedicated scientists will be turned on its head.
"Weaponization of autism" hits the nail on the head, and I appreciated your article and recognition of the situation.
My guilty reading pleasure is The Daily Mail, followed by a dumpster dive into the reader comments to observe how the minds of the most hateful mouthbreathers of our species operate. (Like clockwork, The Daily Mail runs a fear-mongering clickbait article about autism at least twice a week, and perusing its pages feels like rolling over an old log in a rainforest to watch aghast at the creepy-crawlies slithering around.)
At the top of the West Seattle Bridge is a WiFi network named "Autism Causes Vaccines," and there is massive truth to this tongue-in-cheek SSID name. Indeed, autism causes vaccines, not the other way around. Many scientists working in medical research are themselves undiagnosed autistics, whose enhanced logic and cognitive reasoning enable humanity to unravel the secrets of the immune system.
I see narcissistic abuse and projection at work with every raspy note of RFK's vocal box, and in the mainstream media's clickbait race to pathologize autism.
Many of the problems humanity struggles with boil down to endemic narcissistic abuse and projection, and almost total lack of justice sensitivity within 50% of the population. Autistic people are just another scapegoat for narcissistic neurotypical writers and pundits to misdirect society's attention away from the real issues causing collective suffering. Funnily enough, some of the people who obsess about autism are themselves undiagnosed autistics, where autism is one of their autistic special interests.
It could even be argued that Neurotypical Spectrum Disorder behavior is the disease society actually needs to be concerned about (https://medium.com/the-unexpected-autistic-life/neurotypical-spectrum-disorder-7c0956b832d1).
I say all this as a high-masking Autistic Level 1 person diagnosed at age 47. Autism is like left-handedness, green eyes, or being born LGBTQ; it's an immutable natural variation in how people turn out. All this media hangwringing about autism is a distraction from the cycles of narcissistic abuse wrought by people who have diminished conscience and capacity for empathy. Autism in the public discourse is almost always a disingenuous distraction from the real issues causing widespread suffering and inequality.