Science

‘So much fringe science’: RFK Jr’s advisers are pushing an extreme makeover in autism research

The Guardian Australia - Science · 28 August 2026 at 10:00 pm

‘So much fringe science’: RFK Jr’s advisers are pushing an extreme makeover in autism research

Experts warn the 336-page plan from RFK Jr’s advisers deflects federal dollars into unreliable alternative therapies Autism groups and researchers have reacted with alarm to a federal research roadmap drawn up by advisers handpicked by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, fearing it will promote unproven fringe therapies at the expense of promising genetic research.

A slew of scientific bodies and groups within the autism community are warning that the 336-page plan risks deflecting federal dollars away from potentially groundbreaking genetic research in favor of unreliable alternative therapies.

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‘So much fringe science’: RFK Jr’s advisers are pushing an extreme makeover in autism research

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