“Autism doesn’t destroy families. It’s the ableism that does,” said Tyla Grant, who was diagnosed with autism at 17. She called Mr. Kennedy’s comments “fear-mongering” and said his “rhetoric flattens our existence into this outdated stereotype.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in full damage-control mode after causing outrage with his controversial comments about autism during his first official press briefing as health secretary. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic,

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went on Fox News to try to backtrack the debunked claims he made about autistic people during his first official press briefing as health secretary. RFK Jr. faced some serious pushback after he made several false claims about the disorder.