Last Thursday, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. made false statements about autism.
He specifically stated that people with autism are destroying families and that autism itself is an epidemic. RFK Jr. went even further to say that autistic individuals cannot hold down jobs, play baseball, go on dates, pay taxes and most notably not be able to use the toilet unassisted.
It is even more mind boggling that he said all this during Autism Awareness Month.
These comments have sparked outrage from the autistic community, and this includes myself, since I am on the spectrum.
Me and perhaps hundreds of thousands of other people on the spectrum have been able to do everything that RFK Jr. said that we could not do.
I have worked on and off at the Goodwill in my hometown of Ottawa since 2018. Here I am now working for the Daily Eastern News. I also have a summer internship set up to work alongside the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp baseball team, and I have maintained a college GPA of 3.79.
I have played many sports growing up like baseball, soccer and basketball. I was also a two-time Young Author’s winner in grade school, and I have starred in plays in both high school and college.
From a personal standpoint, I have experienced this kind of treatment from other people. I’ve been talked down to and made fun of for my behavior.
This type of treatment is the most disappointing when it comes from people of high trust such as teachers and bigger positions including the secretary of health and human services.
From talking to other people on the spectrum, it seems like that we have all had to deal with this at some point in our lives.
RFK Jr. must not have been aware of some celebrities on the spectrum such as Susan Boyle, Dan Aykroyd, Jessica-Jane Applegate, Daryl Hannah and many more.
Téa Lamboley, 26, of Peru is on the spectrum, and she couldn’t believe that RFK Jr. said what he said.
“I was like who is this guy and why is he bashing on those who are diagnosed?” said Lamboley.
Lamboley works as a local photographer, and she advises people who are on the spectrum to prove they are valuable members to society.
“Somehow [we need to] prove to him that just because we’re on the spectrum doesn’t mean we’re helpless. While I still struggle with tax payments, I’m still able to hold a job and involve myself in several activities,” said Lamboley.
Eastern Illinois University has a program dedicated to assisting students on the spectrum navigate through college.
This program is known as the Students with Autism Transitional Education Program or more commonly STEP. STEP is directed by speech-language pathologists Jill Fahy and Rebecca Speros, and it serves 23-28 students a year.
Fahy and Speros have reiterated that the program accepts students who they think will make it through college.
“Students in STEP have a graduation rate of 70%,” said Fahy. “They’re intelligent, thoughtful contributing members to society. They hold jobs, they live in apartments, they drive cars, they develop friendships and relationships, they are valued, appreciated and loved by their families. They’re respected, elevated and supported by STEP and all the other offices and entities here on campus.”
Speros said that RFK provided a narrow description of autism, mischaracterizing the science and abilities of individuals with autism.
Speros also disagrees with RFK Jr. that autism is responsible for destroying families.
“I don’t agree that autism itself would destroy a family,” Speros said. “I think there’s all kinds of factors that go into why a family has a hard time staying cohesive whenever there’s any kind of difficult situation at home.”
Sophomore criminal justice major Paige Parmenter who is a part of STEP said she is upset by RFK’s claims.
“Autism exists on a spectrum,” Parmenter said. “There are people who struggle a lot and cannot work. That is true. But there are also high functioning adults who go to college and get jobs and pay taxes, and he kind of just wrote that off.”
Junior marketing major Ian Hass who is also a part of STEP was initially a supporter of RFK Jr. during his presidential campaign last year.
“Truth be told, I actually supported him during his run for President, I even used him as a protest vote because I didn’t want to vote last semester,” said Hass. “I can kind of understand where he’s coming from. For the majority of the history of autism, it has just been seen as a regular mental disorder and nothing at all. I thought it was a dumb thing to say, and I hope not too many people buy into it, but many people will because they like, trust and support him.”
Hass believes that anyone on the spectrum should press forward with their lives, regardless of whatever impact RFK Jr.’s comments leave on them.
“If anyone goes around parroting this, just let them know the facts,” said Hass. “That’s really the only way to handle these sorts of things. I’m autistic and I know what it’s about and if anyone told me different, I’d politely correct them and say, ‘No, this is what it really is.’”
My final words of advice are to not just autistic people but to anyone who has been diagnosed with a disorder of any type: contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as normal.
Everyone is different, and we all have a disability of some type. Anyone can make it in life as long as they work for it.
Do not let the ignorance of someone else decide where you go in life. Create your own destination.
Drew Farrell can be reached at 581-2812 or at atfarrell@eiu.edu.
