I started out by saying that it is clear autism has an environmental component to its development and that addressing factors that are strongly associated with its development (such RFK Jr looking to address the metabolic health crisis) that genuine rates of autism (not the socially awkward iPad babies) would likely drop in the following decade.
In other words, there is very likely something we can do about it and we aren't that far off from figuring out the cause and thus pushing forward prevention measures.
The relevance of this is RFK Jr trying to find the cause instead of presuming like a lazy asshole it's all genetic and ignoring the abundant evidence to the contrary.
In case you need this spelled out: This means making sure mothers are properly educated on what healthy means, identifying those who aren't healthy and thus putting their babies at risk, and giving them proper strategies to make sure they're actually addressing the issue instead of covering it with endless drugs or shit dietary advice that doesn't induce normal blood sugar values or restoration of metabolic health which does nothing long term for the mother or her child.
If you think they already do this you have never had a child or had a family member who had a child. Yes they screen for gestational diabetes by administering an ass load of sugar solution that not uncommonly makes pregnant women feel nauseous or vomit.
If gestational diabetes is diagnosed they are told to eat 3 meals a day with 3 snacks, make sure they eat a high carb diet, limit red meat, and possibly go on medication if that somehow doesn't magically fix it.
None of this advice would works to prevent autism because it does not actually fix the underlying metabolic health problems or decrease maternal inflammation associated with these issues.
There is no discussion on food quality, no discussion on processed foods, no discussion on metabolic therapies, no discussion on disease management, no discussion on insulin resistance or why pregnant women are prone to things like diabetes during pregnancy and what to do to prevent it. Nothing actually effective is actually done, hence why this problem is only getting worse instead of better.
Metabolic health in this country is fucking atrocious. There are very few truly metabolically healthy people left and that includes mothers. The percent of people who are in optimal metabolic health is in the single digits.
Doctors are not "already doing" what I'm suggesting because they are fucking failures who can't figure out how to do anything other than give the same advice they've been giving since the 80s despite it not doing fucking shit.
My point is that if RFK Jr can actually put two and two together and put together a support structure to actually properly and effectively address this issue it could actually have an impact.
You are the one who came in powerleveling about how profoundly autistic your entire family is, how it is definitely genetic based off of your anecdote and entirely ignored every single point I made in favor of coming up with your own ideas of what the conversation was actually about.
There is strong evidence autism has an environmental component. This means we can do something about it if we actually address those issues instead of using strategies that don't fucking work as we have been doing. RFK Jr may realize this. The impact of this could be profound due to a more functional population and less strain on special ed classes, therapists, and other resources autists need throughout childhood. Not to mention decreasing childhood misery by not producing as many kids who struggle to self regulate and can't stand minor sensory annoyances and take twice as long to learn normal social behaviors.
Actual insane levels of zero reading comprehension.
