Autism is Not an Epidemic: The Dangerous Implications of the "Make America Healthy Again" Executive Order
Bridgette Hamstead
On February 13, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order establishing the "Make America Healthy Again" Commission, a federal initiative that claims to address rising rates of chronic illness, autism, ADHD, and other health concerns in the United States. However, beneath its surface, this order spreads harmful misinformation, promotes outdated and debunked science, and advances ableist policies that directly threaten the disability and neurodivergent communities.
At Fish in a Tree, we recognize that autistic and neurodivergent people do not need to be "fixed." We are not a crisis. We are not a problem to be solved. Yet, this executive order is built on the false premise that autism and disability are national threats, rather than natural variations in human neurology. The framing of this commission does not advocate for inclusion, services, or accessibility. Instead, it promotes dangerous rhetoric that seeks to eliminate disability rather than support those who live with it.
Autism is Not an Epidemic
The executive order frames autism as a growing crisis, citing rising diagnostic rates as evidence of an "epidemic." This kind of fearmongering is not new—it has been weaponized against the autistic community for decades, often to justify harmful interventions and pseudoscientific “cures.”
In reality, the increase in autism diagnoses reflects improved diagnostic criteria, greater awareness, and expanded access to healthcare—not a rise in the actual number of autistic individuals. Historically, diagnostic disparities have prevented women, nonbinary people, people of color, and adults from being properly identified as autistic. Only in recent decades has the medical community begun to address these biases, allowing more people to receive the diagnosis and support they need. This is not a crisis—it is progress.
Autism is not a disease. It is a developmental disability and a natural part of human diversity. The goal should not be to "reduce the prevalence of autism" but to ensure that autistic people have the accommodations, services, and respect we deserve.
The Return of Anti-Vaccine Misinformation
President Trump has long promoted the false claim that vaccines cause autism, a claim that has been thoroughly debunked by decades of research. His appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services—a known anti-vaccine activist—only reinforces concerns that this commission will focus on reviving these harmful and dangerous theories.
The executive order calls for further "causation research" into autism, signaling a return to a baseless search for an explanation that has already been answered by science. Autism is not caused by vaccines, environmental toxins, or diet. This kind of misinformation not only erodes public trust in science but also endangers public health by discouraging vaccinations, as we’ve already seen with the resurgence of preventable diseases like measles.
The Targeting of Essential Medications
Another deeply concerning aspect of this executive order is its focus on the "overuse" of medications for conditions such as ADHD, depression, and anxiety. The order promotes the idea that medication use is excessive and harmful, despite overwhelming evidence that these treatments are essential for many neurodivergent individuals.
ADHD medications, for example, have been shown to significantly reduce risks of premature death and improve overall quality of life. Similarly, SSRIs and other medications used for mental health conditions have helped countless individuals manage depression, PTSD, OCD, and anxiety.
By framing these medications as a public health concern, the administration is laying the groundwork for policies that could restrict access to life-saving treatments. The message is clear: this administration does not value the health and autonomy of neurodivergent individuals, nor does it respect the overwhelming body of research proving the efficacy of these medications.
Fatphobia Disguised as Public Health
The order also promotes the dangerous idea that "obesity" is a public health crisis that must be prevented. This framing ignores the well-documented harms of weight stigma, which is often more damaging than weight itself. Fat people face significant medical discrimination, including delayed diagnoses and inadequate treatment due to doctors focusing on weight rather than addressing actual health conditions.
Research has consistently shown that weight cycling (yo-yo dieting) is more harmful to long-term health than simply existing in a larger body. The administration’s focus on “preventing obesity” is not about health—it is about reinforcing harmful body hierarchies that devalue fat people. The real solution to better health outcomes is fighting weight stigma in healthcare, increasing access to medical care, and supporting health at every size—not demonizing fat bodies.
Cutting Healthcare While Claiming to Help
Despite claiming to improve public health, this administration is simultaneously pursuing cuts to Medicaid—the very program that ensures millions of disabled people can access healthcare. People with disabilities rely on Medicaid for essential services, including therapies, in-home support, and medical treatments. Reducing access to Medicaid will exacerbate existing healthcare disparities and leave countless disabled Americans without care.
It is not possible to claim to be addressing chronic illness while simultaneously gutting the healthcare programs that disabled people depend on. This contradiction highlights the true intentions of this administration: control, restriction, and exclusion—not care.
Disability is Not a Burden—But This Policy Is
One of the most alarming aspects of this order is its language describing disability as a "threat" to America. This kind of rhetoric is not just offensive—it is dangerous. It implies that disabled people, rather than systemic barriers, are the problem. It frames our existence as something to be eliminated rather than something to be accommodated.
Disabled people are not burdens. We are people. We deserve healthcare, education, employment, and respect. We deserve a society that values us, not one that treats us as a crisis to be solved.
This executive order is an attempt to justify harmful policies under the guise of public health. It is based on fear, misinformation, and ableism. It does not aim to support disabled and neurodivergent individuals—it seeks to reduce our numbers, restrict our access to care, and reinforce harmful narratives about who deserves to exist in society.
What Can We Do?
At Fish in a Tree, we reject this dangerous approach to disability and public health. We stand with autistic, ADHD, disabled, and fat communities in demanding real change—not policies that treat our existence as a problem.
Here’s what we can do:
Call out misinformation. Challenge false claims about autism, vaccines, weight, and disability whenever they appear.
Advocate for access. Support policies that expand healthcare access, including Medicaid, mental health resources, and disability services.
Support self-advocates. Listen to and amplify the voices of disabled people who are directly impacted by these policies.
Hold leaders accountable. Demand transparency and evidence-based decision-making from policymakers.
Disability is not a crisis. Ableism is. The fight for neurodivergent and disabled rights continues—and we are here to fight it.