Autism, according to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is an “epidemic.” For sophomore Eli Perry, who is autistic, this rhetoric couldn’t be further from the truth.

Kennedy has long battled with scientists about the prevalence and causes of autism. His independent presidential campaign during the 2024 election gained attention for perpetuating conspiracies, including that vaccines lead to autism. In his new role as President Trump’s Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy has announced his intention to discover the true cause of autism and to develop an autism database using information from Medicare and Medicaid.

During his first press conference Apr. 16, Kennedy said of children with autism: “These are kids who will never pay taxes, 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. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

Perry views these descriptions of autism as untrue and offensive. “I know several people who are incredible … because of their autism, and seeing it framed as a disease … it sucks,” they said.

Similar to Perry’s objections, Kennedy received widespread criticism from prominent autism researchers and individuals on the spectrum. Autism Speaks, Autism Society of America and several other autism organizations published a joint statement Apr. 17 calling for support for the autistic community and commitment to existing research: “We urge public leaders, institutions, and media to uphold scientific integrity and work together to strengthen—not weaken—the infrastructure of support for the entire Autism community.”

Perry recognizes that autism affects their life “everywhere … for better, for worse.” As a debater, they are fully factual and objective; as an actor, they can take on a mask of a completely different person; as an engineer, they are uniquely interested and skilled. Perry sees their autism as the reason for each of these talents. While autism also makes eye contact and tonal cues challenging, they are not ashamed nor interested in changing themself.

“No matter how masked I am, no matter how much I’m trying to repress it, I will still fidget. Eye contact will still make me uncomfortable. It’s a part of who I am,” they said. “I am not going to change my personality for your convenience.”

If they could speak directly to Kennedy, Perry would say “A lot of things I can’t say in the Rubicon … [but] talk to one autistic person who lives their life, just talk to any autistic person with any political viewpoint, and you can see how flawed [Kennedy’s] idea is.”