Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expresses his sympathy for children with autism by demeaning them. “They will never pay taxes,” he said. “They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. Some will never use a toilet unassisted.” RFK Jr. should watch the Netflix show, “Love on the Spectrum.” Many people with autism hold jobs, get married, and pay taxes.
During the past 20 years, RFK Jr. has proposed many different causes for autism. When each claim is proven wrong, he simply suggests another one and moves on. RFK Jr. has variously claimed that the hepatitis B vaccine causes autism, that a preservative in vaccines causes autism, that aluminum adjuvants in vaccines cause autism, and that Tylenol taken during pregnancy or after circumcision causes autism. Those who listen to RFK Jr, who trust him, who believe that he has their best interests at heart, haven’t lessened their children’s risk of autism, they’ve only increased the risk of suffering or dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
RFK Jr.’s latest attempt to mislead parents was to promote a new, can’t-miss autism treatment. On September 22, 2025, during a press conference attended by President Donald Trump, RFK Jr. said, “We have also identified an exciting therapy that may benefit large numbers of children who suffer from autism.” The magic medicine RFK Jr. was talking about was leucovorin, a derivative of vitamin B9 or folate. Dr. Marty Makary, Commissioner of the FDA, backed RFK Jr.’s claim, stating that “20, 40, or 50 percent of kids with autism” would likely benefit from the drug. “Given the extent of the current autism epidemic,” said Makary, “physicians should immediately have this treatment option available.” Sales of leucovorin skyrocketed, increasing by more than 70 percent.
On its face, the claim that many children with autism would benefit from folate didn’t add up. Folate helps cells function and keeps the brain healthy. Folate enters the brain with the help of a folate transporter called the cerebral folate receptor, which is a protein made by the gene FOLR1. Fewer than 50 children have been documented to have a defect in the FOLR1 gene. In other words, the cerebral folate receptor disorder is as rare as 1 in a million children. If 1 in 32 children are diagnosed with autism, it is reasonable to conclude that almost all will not have a defect in that gene.
It gets worse. Supporters of leucovorin point to a study that showed that the drug was effective and safe. On January 28, 2026, the journal that published that study retracted it because of “errors in results and concerns with the statistical analyses.” On March 10, 2026, the FDA backed away from its broad claims of efficacy of leucovorin stating that it would only work in that rare child who had a defect in the FOLR1 gene. For that reason, groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Psychiatric Association, the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, the Autism Science Foundation, and several major pediatric healthcare centers don’t recommend leucovorin as a treatment for autism. “The reason the AAP is not broadly recommending leucovorin is because we know that autistic children deserve the same level of evidence to support interventions as anyone else,” said Dr. Kristin Sohl. Once again, RFK Jr. was wrong. And, once again, he failed to apologize for misleading parents.
For many parents, autism can be financially burdensome and emotionally draining. Nonetheless, physicians who are still willing to prescribe leucovorin charge as much as $1,500 for an initial visit. There is nothing more sinister than people who offer false hope to those desperate to do something, anything to help their children. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to use children with autism as a prop to further his anti-vaccine agenda. For that, this opportunist and interloper should be roundly condemned.
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