I have written a book on the politics of autism policy. Building on this research, this blog offers insights, analysis, and facts about recent events. If you have advice, tips, or comments, please get in touch with me at jpitney@cmc.edu
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In The Politics of Autism , I discuss court cases involving the civil rights of people with autism and other disabilities . Trump does not care . He despises people with disabilities . His head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division is a political hack who uses the r-word as a slur . Last week , the Department of Justice quietly released a memo pertaining to the landmark 1999 disability civil rights…
In The Politics of Autism , I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition . Dozens of potential causes and correlates have been the subject of scientific and medical research. I have counted at least 48 . Amanda Seitz and Stephanie Armour at CBS : President Trump has ordered a reduction in childhood vaccines — publicly faulting the shots for an increase in autism cases — even as the…
In The Politics of Autism , I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism . This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread . Examples include measles , COVID , flu , and polio . A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr . He is part of the " Disinformation Dozen ." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa . Since Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has recorded more…
In The Politics of Autism , I write about social services , special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act . Kara Adundel at K-12 Dive : State education agencies saw a 46% jump in the number of written state complaints in special education during the 2025-26 school year compared to the year before, according to new survey responses from 31 states. The self-reported survey…
In The Politics of Autism , I discus s the employment of people on the autism spectrum . Binsfeld, C.R., Grubba, L.S., Schmidt, C. et al. Employment of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Integrative Review of Barriers and Facilitators. J Autism Dev Disord (2026 ). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07467-1 Abstract Purpose This study aimed to synthesize the international literature on the…
In The Politics of Autism , I discuss evaluation and diagnosis . de Marchena, A., Wieckowski, A. T., Freedman, B., Shea, L., Locke, J., Cronholm, P. F., Leff, S. S., Vivanti, G., & Robins, D. L. (2026). From Waiting to Action: Why the Autism Field Must Embrace Efficient Service Delivery Models for Diagnostic Assessment. Autism, 0(0) . Abstract Waiting lists for an autism evaluation delay timely…
In The Politics of Autism , I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism . This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread . Examples include measles , COVID , flu , and polio . A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr . He is part of the " Disinformation Dozen ." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa . Since President Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has…
A number o f posts discussed Trump 's support for dubious notion s about autism . The history of autism "cures" is a history of dashed hopes and frequent danger A release from the University of Michigan: Leucovorin prescriptions for children spiked after federal officials claimed the drug was an effective treatment for autism during a September 2025 press conference, according to a new Michigan…
Michelle Yin, Regina Seo, Hoa Vu, The labor market effects of subminimum wage elimination: Evidence from a national analysis, Labour Economics, Volume 100, 2026, 102884, ISSN 0927-5371 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2026.102884. Highlights First national quasi-experimental analysis of subminimum wage elimination for PWD. Elimination reduced 14(c) employment by around 2000 workers per state…
In The Politics of Autism , I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism . This bogus idea can hurt people by llowing diseases to spread . Examples include measles , COVID , flu , and polio . A number of posts discussed Trump 's support for the discredited notion . Daniel Dale at CNN : President Donald Trump made numerous false or misleading claims about vaccines and autism on Monday. Trump has…