RFK Jr, the Health and Human Services Secretary, said about people with autism, “They 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.”

Holly Robertson Peete, whose son is autistic, said her son has checked off and shattered a lot of the “nevers” off that list.

Samantha Taylor, who has a 20 year old son said, “unless you are a parent of a child with autism, you can’t begin to imagine what the journey is like. To say that it’s an epidemic and destroying families is an insult to everyone in the autism community”

Tom Frasier, Board Chairman of Autism Speaks said, “We are excited about Kennedy’s interest in autism but we have to make sure the research is focused on the needs of autistic people and their families and that we are not recreating research that has already been done.”

I think you shouldn’t say “never” for people with autism.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of YAI. 

Content adapted from Good Morning America.