‘So much fringe science’: RFK Jr’s advisers are pushing an extreme makeover in autism research
Source: Guardian Health ↗
Advisers hand‑picked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have produced a 336‑page federal autism research roadmap that the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) formally adopted this week. The plan, which would run for three years and proposes to nearly double federal autism‑service spending to $760 million a year, earmarks $270 million for research, including $15 million for studies of folate biology and the use of leucovorin (folinic acid). Critics note that leucovorin prescriptions surged 71 percent after Trump and Kennedy publicly praised the “exciting therapy,” despite the FDA approving it only for the rare cerebral folate deficiency. The IACC’s advisory document, created without grant‑making authority, has already drawn sharp rebuke from scientists and autism advocates who say it diverts money toward unproven, fringe treatments at the expense of genetic research.
The most consequential concern is that the plan could channel federal dollars into therapies lacking solid evidence, potentially reshaping autism research for years. Helen Tager‑Flusberg, emeritus professor at Boston University and founder of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, warned that much of the proposal amounts to “fringe science” not ready for implementation. The roadmap also calls for “supported‑living models” such as farmstead or campus‑based communities, which autism‑rights groups fear could revive institutional confinement. Moreover, Dr. Dan Rossignol, a member of the repurposed IACC and a leading prescriber of leucovorin, holds a 1 % equity stake in Eletala, a company developing folinic‑acid therapies, raising questions about conflicts of interest in the allocation of the $15 million research fund.
While the IACC’s plan is advisory, its adoption by a health secretariat aligned with President Trump’s administration could influence future funding priorities and policy direction. If the proposed spending levels are approved, they would reshape the national autism research agenda, potentially sidelining genetic studies that many scientists deem more promising. The controversy underscores broader tensions between the current administration’s promotion of controversial autism treatments and the scientific community’s call for evidence‑based approaches, a clash that may affect researchers, clinicians, families, and autistic individuals nationwide.
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The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.