Maryland father angry over Robert Kennedy Jr's comments on cause of autism

Kenji Jackson, a Maryland resident who has a 13-year-old son with autism, is upset over Robert Kennedy Jr.'s comments that point to environmental factors as the cause.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that one in 31 children in the United States has autism, marking an increase from the numbers in 2020.

Kennedy, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, called the rate of autism alarming and blamed environmental factors as the source.

"I was very angry," Jackson said. "I took it personally, and I can't repeat some of the things I thought and said."

Kennedy rejected the theory that rising rates are due to better diagnoses, from a study that included five Maryland counties. 

"The epidemic denial has become a feature in mainstream media, and it's based on an industry canard, and obviously, there are people who don't want us to look at environmental exposures," Kennedy said.

An author of the CDC study said increased awareness is a key factor.

"We have changed diagnostic practices, we have changed diagnostic criteria, we have broadened what we think of in terms of the autism spectrum, and also we have gotten much better at conducting these prevalence studies themselves," said Dr. Zachary Warren, the Executive Director at Vanderbilt University's Triad Autism Institute.

Current autism rates are nearly five times higher than in 2000. Despite expert research that points to genetics, Kennedy says his team his working to uncover the causes of autism by September.  

Parenting a child with autism

Kenji Jackson said raising his 13-year-old son, who is on the spectrum, is sometimes challenging, but it gets easier by the day.

His support group includes fathers who have children with autism.

Kaiden's parents say it's been the ride of a lifetime raising Kaiden, who enjoys karate and swimming.

Jackson advocates for those on the spectrum and preaches the power of patience, presence, and advocacy. 

"It's been challenging, but it's getting easier every single day," Jackson said. "I'm seeing a child that every day shows me something different, shows me something amazing. He keeps me young, he keeps me vibrant, he's my best friend."