Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Photo:

Win McNamee/Getty; Doug Benc/Getty

• Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing backlash for his April 16 press conference about autism.
• In his remarks, RFK Jr. said that children diagnosed with autism are “suffering,” falsely claiming that they will never pay taxes, fall in love, have jobs or even “play baseball.”
• Despite RFK Jr.’s comments, his aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver dedicated her life to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, founding the Special Olympics so that children from around the world could compete in sporting events tailored to their needs.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave his first press conference as President Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services on April 16, addressing a new CDC study about the rise of autism diagnoses among children in the United States.

During his remarks, Kennedy declared that the year-by-year increase constitutes an autism “epidemic” and vowed to identify the “environmental causes” that are responsible.

Kennedy, who has previously promoted a scientifically debunked claim that autism is caused by vaccines, denied that the uptick in diagnoses can be explained by experts learning more about the disorder.

However, some of his most controversial statements were the stark, yet demonstrably false, claims he made about life for children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. 

“Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this,” he said. “These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

For many children and adults with autism, that is not the case — and a Kennedy, of all people, should know that well.

RFK’s aunt Eunice Kennedy Shriver made it her life’s mission to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities could participate and compete in physical activities and sports of all kinds, including softball.

Maria Shriver, Robert Kennedy Jr., Eunice Shriver, and Mary Richardson Kennedy. Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Inspired by her older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who was institutionalized and later suffered significant physical and cognitive damage due to a botched lobotomy, Shriver founded the Special Olympics in 1968.

Today, the organization still aims to deliver “high-quality training and competition in an inclusive culture through Unified Sports which allows for people with and without intellectual disabilities to play on the same field.”

On its website, the Special Olympics organization — which provides training and athletic activities to more than five million participants in 172 countries — even has a special section about athletes with autism.

“Special Olympics volunteers and coaches are experienced working with young people and adults who may have trouble communicating or who have sensory issues,” the site explains. “We will find a way — and a sport — that is best suited to each athlete.”

PEOPLE reached out to the Special Olympics for comment about RFK Jr.’s remarks.

TV host Phyllis George (L2) and a Special Olympics athlete (L) share a laugh with Eunice Kennedy Shriver (r) at the 1979 Special Olympics. American Broadcasting Companies via Getty

Following her death in 2008, Shriver’s mission has been carried on through the Special Olympics organization, as well as members of her family. In 2024, her son Tim Shriver penned a profile of NBA player Tony Snell, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult after learning that his two young sons had it as well.

“It’s taboo in the black community to talk about your disability,” Snell shared in the interview. “Having a disability is an unspoken thing. I want to normalize the concept that everyone’s brain is wired differently.”

In his article, Tim directly countered his cousin in his remarks about the rise in autism diagnoses.

“The prevalence of autism and similar conditions has risen in recent decades but the number of developmental pediatricians — trained to diagnose and treat conditions like ASD — has not,” he wrote. “As experts have noted, this isn’t an epidemic of autism. It’s an ‘epidemic of need,’ even in countries like the U.S. and Britain.”

Since 1997, the Special Olympics has sent health professionals to conduct early intervention screenings at events around the world through their Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program.

“Special Olympics understands the urgency of early action,” Tim wrote. “Our early childhood program, Young Athletes, brings children with and without ID together to play and grow starting in their early years. We’ve helped move the world from silence, separation, and denial to an age of powerful self-advocacy and far greater acceptance.”

Additionally, the organization is focused on reducing the stigma around intellectual disorders like autism. They recently shared a video featuring an international group of athletes at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

In the touching clip, the athletes spoke out against those who might see them as a mere “stereotype or slur,” sharing how the Special Olympics has helped them accomplish more than their detractors ever thought possible.

“When I was growing up, I was told I wouldn’t amount to anything but flipping burgers,” said U.S. Special Olympic athlete Daniel King.

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Members of Kennedy’s family have also directly condemned his HHS appointment. In a rare public statement in January, his cousin Caroline Kennedy urged the Senate to reject his nomination.

“Overseeing the FDA, the NIH, the CDC and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill,” she said in a social media video. “He lacks any relevant government, financial, management or medical experience. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”