‘Got me emotional': Mother of autistic boy reacts to RFK Jr.'s comments

A D C family of a boy with autism says Soundness and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr s current remarks about the disorder were painful Ronald Duncan of Northeast D C loves trains and in recent months was chosen for Metro s Autism Acceptance Month campaign I was super proud revealed his mother Maureen McKoy I got the text at in the morning and I cried until like spreading the word When Ronald was young doctors reported his parents he would never learn to speak but now Metro had Ronald making announcements in the transit system Whenever we have IEP individualized instruction undertaking meetings or parent-teacher conference I tear up because I think about what the medical expert stated McKoy commented This week Kennedy called autism an epidemic in the U S These are kids who will never pay taxes he disclosed They ll never hold a job They ll never play baseball They ll never write a poem They ll never go out on a date Numerous of them will never use a toilet unassisted And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children and we need to put an end to it Ronald s family finds those comments painful For me it got me emotional McKoy reported Because I mean you re doubting him and you don t know nothing he s been through So much of the stigma that was stuff that we ve been trying to break down is what was reported in that press conference stated Dr Mona Amin a pediatrician who often sees autistic patients It is not a ailment it s not an epidemic she commented It s just of the way our brain is wired differently Decades of research point to a link between autism and genetics Amin noted not necessarily environmental factors as Kennedy has suggested The Department of Fitness and Human Services sent News a announcement reading Secretary Kennedy remains committed to working toward a society where people with autism have access to meaningful opportunities appropriate supports and the full respect and recognition they deserve His statements emphasized the need for increased research into environmental factors contributing to the rise in autism diagnoses not to stigmatize individuals with autism or their families HHS supports ongoing collaboration and research to both identify the causes of autism and provide the best viable care and management strategies for those impacted Secretary Kennedy s family history includes a long-standing commitment to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities further reinforcing his dedication to supporting affected families and advancing scientific progress to improve their quality of life overall Get the D C area s top news and weather delivered to your inbox every morning Sign up for First The majority our free newsletter