Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine advocate, has reshuffled the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), a group responsible for recommending autism research funding and providing guidance on autism services. The new lineup includes individuals who promote pseudoscientific treatments for autism, sparking concerns among health experts and advocates.
Kennedy's appointments have been met with criticism from those who believe he is stacking the committee with anti-science and anti-public health individuals. The group now includes Daniel Rossignol, a doctor sued over allegations of fraud related to his treatment of an autistic child; Tracy Slepcevic, who organizes an annual Autism Health Summit promoting bogus cures for autism; and Toby Rogers, a fellow at the Brownstone Institute who has written articles for Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy.
The appointments have raised concerns about the potential direction of research funding and services for individuals with autism. Autism advocates fear that the new committee will direct funding towards known dead ends and influence federal activities away from policies benefiting the autistic community.
"This is essentially creating an ideological echo chamber," said Kayla Hancock, a program director at public health advocacy group Protect Our Care. "We've fought so hard to protect our community, but they want to experiment on us."
The new IACC lineup has been condemned by multiple autism advocacy groups, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. "At a time when the autistic community desperately needs quality research that could genuinely improve our lives, we fear that this IACC will direct research funding towards known dead ends and influence federal activities away from policies that would best serve the autistic community," the group stated.
Kennedy has already overhauled the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a normally independent group advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine usage. The combined decisions could lead to disastrous outcomes, experts warn.
In response to criticism, Kennedy claimed that he appointed "the most qualified experts" who are leaders with decades of experience in autism research, treatment, and advocacy. However, health experts and advocates disagree, citing a lack of evidence supporting the claims made by the new appointees.
The Department of Health and Human Services said that claims about the selection process being unfounded and misleading. "After more than two decades of rising autism rates, families deserve more than reports and meetings; they deserve measurable progress," said Andrew Nixon, director of communication at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy's appointments have been met with criticism from those who believe he is stacking the committee with anti-science and anti-public health individuals. The group now includes Daniel Rossignol, a doctor sued over allegations of fraud related to his treatment of an autistic child; Tracy Slepcevic, who organizes an annual Autism Health Summit promoting bogus cures for autism; and Toby Rogers, a fellow at the Brownstone Institute who has written articles for Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy.
The appointments have raised concerns about the potential direction of research funding and services for individuals with autism. Autism advocates fear that the new committee will direct funding towards known dead ends and influence federal activities away from policies benefiting the autistic community.
"This is essentially creating an ideological echo chamber," said Kayla Hancock, a program director at public health advocacy group Protect Our Care. "We've fought so hard to protect our community, but they want to experiment on us."
The new IACC lineup has been condemned by multiple autism advocacy groups, including the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. "At a time when the autistic community desperately needs quality research that could genuinely improve our lives, we fear that this IACC will direct research funding towards known dead ends and influence federal activities away from policies that would best serve the autistic community," the group stated.
Kennedy has already overhauled the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a normally independent group advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine usage. The combined decisions could lead to disastrous outcomes, experts warn.
In response to criticism, Kennedy claimed that he appointed "the most qualified experts" who are leaders with decades of experience in autism research, treatment, and advocacy. However, health experts and advocates disagree, citing a lack of evidence supporting the claims made by the new appointees.
The Department of Health and Human Services said that claims about the selection process being unfounded and misleading. "After more than two decades of rising autism rates, families deserve more than reports and meetings; they deserve measurable progress," said Andrew Nixon, director of communication at the Department of Health and Human Services.
I'm not surprised to see RFK Jr. playing a game of musical chairs with the IACC - it's always about getting his buddies on the committee who share his "expertise" 
. Like, what's next? Appointing anti-vax influencers as experts in, well, everything? 
The fact that these individuals are promoting pseudoscientific treatments is just a red flag 
. It's disappointing to see autism advocacy groups getting dragged into this mess 
. Can't we just focus on actual science and evidence-based research for once? 
... and this is kinda related to the whole autism thing... Robert Kennedy Jr. is basically changing the rules on who gets to decide what happens with autism funding and stuff, right? And now he's got these super questionable people on his new team... 
I mean, Daniel Rossignol, Tracy Slepcevic, Toby Rogers... they're all about promoting some pretty weird treatments that aren't even proven to work 
. It's like, what's going on here?
. Like, Kayla Hancock said it's creating an "ideological echo chamber" which is super concerning 
.
. And now we're gonna see some serious consequences, like more people getting hurt or dying from preventable diseases because of lack of trust in vaccines 
.
what's going on with these ppl?! It's like they're intentionally trying to harm people just to push their own ideology 
.
. Those appointments are basically creating an echo chamber where folks with alternative views are given a platform 
! Appointing people like Daniel Rossignol, who's got a history of being sued for fraudulent practices, to an org that supposedly helps ppl with autism? 
I mean, come on, have we learned nothing from the whole anti-vax debacle? Vaccines save lives, folks! 
. and don't even get me started on the fact that Kennedy himself has been sued for fraud 
. like, who does he trust? 
. when you let pseudoscience and anti-science people in charge, it's gonna lead to disastrous outcomes 
. like, what's next?! 
It's a slippery slope, fam! We gotta be careful not to let ideology override science and compassion. Let this be a lesson: when we see something that feels off or suspicious, it's time to dig deeper 
. We can't afford to rely on assumptions or confirmation bias - our communities depend on us to seek out the truth 
.
. And what really gets my goat is that some of these folks are even being sued for fraudulent practices 
. This is not about improving lives, it's about pushing a radical agenda 
. This is a disaster waiting to happen...
so theres this doc daniel rossignol who got sued for fraud like wut? 
i'm low-key freaking out about this lol the problem is ppl think he's stacking the committee with these ppl who are clearly not experts in autism research at all they're more like charlatans 
. Can't we just focus on finding effective treatments for autism that actually work? 
. Anyway, I guess it's not surprising that the Department of Health and Human Services is denying any wrongdoing, since they're probably too busy trying to keep up with the pseudoscience storm 
...