US health secretary bucks expert opinion as research shows rise in diagnoses due to better tools and screening

US health secretary bucks expert opinion as research shows rise in diagnoses due to better tools and screening

The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, said in his first press conference that the significant and recent rise in autism diagnoses was evidence of an “epidemic” caused by an “environmental toxin”, which would be rooted out by September.

Autism advocates and health experts have repeatedly stated the rise in diagnoses is related to better recognition of the condition, changing diagnostic criteria and better access to screening. Many also reject the label of an “epidemic”, arguing that neurodivergence should be valued.

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RFK disagreed with the consensus of health researchers, and said that “we need to move away” from the idea that the increase in autism prevalence “is simply due to better diagnostic tools”.

  • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 days ago

    You could easily be led to think so, skimming articles like
    “Does Lead Have a Connection to Autism? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10536388/

    This meta-analysis showed significantly higher Pb levels in all three types of biological material in cases than in controls, suggesting a higher body Pb burden in autistic children. Thus, environmental Pb exposure could be related to the genesis of autism.