Remember when RFK Jr. promised he'd find what "caused" autism by September? As if autistic people are a problem to be fixed...

It's September 16th, 2025.

According to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bold April proclamation, we should be drowning in groundbreaking research about what "caused the autism epidemic" by now. He promised—with a straight face—that by this month, we'd have answers. Shocking absolutely no one: We don't.

Instead, what we have is a masterclass in moving goalposts, shutting down actual research, and pretending vaccines are still the boogeyman despite decades of evidence saying otherwise.

Sit with this for a second: The man who promised to find autism's environmental causes has literally shut down the labs that were already studying them.

Here's what's actually happened since April.

The Timeline That Keeps Sliding

Remember that super confident deadline? Well, it's evolved. Back in April, when pressed about his timeline, Kennedy walked it back to having "some of the answers" by September 2025—quite a shift from his original promise to "know what has caused the autism epidemic."

Meanwhile, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya—the guy actually running this circus—told reporters they're hoping to get "grants out the door by the end of the summer" and have "a major conference, with updates, within the next year."

Within the next year. Sooo, not September. Not even close to September.

And as of the middle of September 2025? No findings. No breakthrough. Not even a press release. (Are any of us actually surprised?)

👉 TL;DR: The five-month promise to "eliminate" autism has morphed into maybe having preliminary hints in 12-18 months. The timeline for this fake problem keeps stretching like bad taffy. 🫠

RFK Jr. is Destroying the Research He Claims to Champion

Here's the part that bothers me: While promising to find environmental causes of autism, Kennedy has systematically dismantled the research already investigating those exact causes.

According to ProPublica's investigation, RFK Jr. & Co. have...

• Shut down researcher Erin McCanlies' lab at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

• Stripped funding from more than 50 autism-related studies

• Canceled over $40 million in NIH grants for autism research

Some of these studies got axed because they were at universities the administration doesn't like. Others mentioned scary words like "gender." (The horror!)

Meanwhile, he's launched a shiny new $50-million "Autism Data Science Initiative" that sounds scientific but lacks basic transparency.

The NIH won't even reveal:

• Who's reviewing the grant applications

• What criteria they're using

• Who makes the final decisions

• What conditions researchers must agree to

Totally transparent and above board. 🙄

The Autism "Registry" That Should Terrify Everyone

Oh, and they're building an autism database using Medicare and Medicaid data covering 36% of Americans—plus information from pharmacy chains, hospitals, and your smartwatch. Without explicit consent.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network called this exactly what it is: "gravely concerning." They're creating a registry of autistic people while handing over sensitive medical data to unnamed researchers.

💭 Thought question: How comfortable are you with the government compiling a database of neurodivergent people's medical records for a predetermined "study"?

Real Scientists Are Screaming Into the Void

The actual scientific community? They're over it.

Dr. Gregory Poland called the timeline "ridiculous," noting that "designing the study, approving the study, funding the study, carrying out the study, analyzing the study and having it available for peer review in five months is ridiculous."

The Autism Society of America found Kennedy's claims "harmful, misleading, and unrealistic," noting that decades of time and billions of dollars have already been spent researching autism causes—far more than on actually helping autistic people live better lives.

But sure, David Geier—the guy who practiced medicine on autistic kids without a license—is definitely the person who'll unlock this mystery. Because that makes sense.

Trump Administration: Still Pushing the Same Debunked Narrative About Vaccines and Autism

Back in April, Kennedy claimed his research would examine food additives, pesticides, and ultrasound scanning as potential causes.

Notice what's conspicuously not mentioned but clearly implied? Vaccines. Because of course.

Despite the fact that:

• The original vaccine-autism study was retracted for fraud

• Its author lost his medical license

• Hundreds of studies involving millions of children found zero links

• Every major medical and scientific organization says vaccines don't cause autism

Kennedy's still playing the "just asking questions" game while his handpicked, unqualified researcher runs a study with a predetermined and inaccurate conclusion.

What This Actually Means for Autistic People

While Kennedy cosplays as a scientific revolutionary, here's what's really happening:

Real, Valid Research is Dying

Legitimate autism researchers are losing funding. Environmental studies that could actually help are being shut down. Scientists with decades of experience are being replaced by conspiracy theorists.

Stigma and Misinformation is Thriving

Every time Kennedy talks about the "autism epidemic" that needs to be "eliminated," he's telling autistic people they're a problem to be solved rather than humans who deserve support and respect.

Resources Are Being Wasted

Instead of funding accommodations, healthcare, employment support, or literally anything autistic people actually need, we're throwing millions at trying to prevent future autistic people from existing.

Newsflash: Autistic people don't want a cure. They want acceptance and support.

So, Is There Anything We Can Do?

First, we call this what it is: propaganda dressed up as science. When someone starts with the conclusion (vaccines bad, autism preventable) and works backward to find "evidence," that's not research—it's confirmation bias with a budget.

Second, we listen to actual autistic people. Organizations like ASAN have been clear: they don't want a cure. They want acceptance, support, and access to services. Novel concept, right?

Third, we keep fact-checking. Every time Kennedy or his cronies make a claim, we check it against actual science. Every. Single. Time.

The September "Breakthrough" That Never Was

So here we are on September 16th, with no breakthrough, no answers, and no surprise. Kennedy's September deadline has come and gone with nothing but excuses and timeline extensions.

The only epidemic here? The spread of dangerous misinformation from the highest levels of government.

The real tragedy isn't that Kennedy failed to deliver on his impossible promise. It's that while he chases his predetermined anti-vax conclusions, actual autistic people continue to face discrimination, lack of services, and a government that sees their existence as something to prevent.

But hey, maybe by next September he'll have "some initial indicator answers." Or the September after that. Or maybe—and hear me out—we could stop treating autism like a disease to be eradicated and start treating autistic people like humans who deserve accommodations, not elimination.

Radical concept, apparently.