A sorta-kinda pushback on RFK

What did Jill Escher say about current concerns regarding autism?

Sometimes as I prepare dinner, I listen to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, a US evening radio show. On 28 April I heard NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly interviewing Jill Escher, president of the National Council on Severe Autism, about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr's, remarks in the winter and spring of 2025 regarding causes of Autism.

It’s an informative interview. Ms. Fischer, who speaks with the authority of a parent who has lived with children with autism (in addition to her advocacy position as a leader in NCSA), argued that aspects of Secretary Kennedy’s pronouncements are sensible. She discussed “the epidemic” and dismissed ascertainment arguments. She dismissed vaccination hypotheses, but encouraged study of other environmental factors.

In the interview, Ms. Escher made sensible observations. She noted that secretary Kennedy’s remarks did not apply to the entire distribution of individuals who are on the spectrum. Echoing some of Secretary Kennedy’s themes, she noted that her own two adult children—who have non-verbal autism—may never achieve certain outcomes that most “normies” consider…uhm…normal. She spoke with some authority. And, she gave credence to parents’ concerns about their children’s future.

There is lots to like in this interview. To be sure, there are reasons be skeptical about the augments presented in it, too. But, I think Ms. Escher’s views can help us understand contemporary concerns about causes of autism (and other disorders), even if her arguments are ill-founded and ill-reasoned. We need to talk about these views, and that is the most valuable contribution.

We need to have conversations about our disparate views regarding disabilities.