In a press conference last week, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a laundry list of activities that autistic people will never do. According to Kennedy, autistic children will never be employed, pay taxes, write poetry, play sports, go out on a date or use the bathroom unaccompanied.

All of this came as news to me. I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder 12 years ago, at the age of eight, and in the intervening years, I’ve done every single one of those things. Kennedy’s comments demonstrate a total lack of understanding of autism, a total disengagement from the current state of autism research and, most importantly, a total callous disregard for the humanity of autistic individuals like me.

In his remarks, Kennedy referred to autism as “a preventable disease,” later referring to the increase in autism diagnoses as an “epidemic.” Autism, according to the Autism Society of America, “is a complex developmental disability shaped by genetic, biological, and environmental factors. It is neither a chronic illness nor a contagion.”

The Society’s statement is not in any way controversial. Scientists uniformly agree that autism is caused by some combination of genetic and environmental factors, and lean towards genetic factors as the primary cause. There is ample evidence that autism is heritable, with some studies suggesting heritability rates as high as 83%. Despite this preponderance of evidence, Kennedy handwaved the clear correlation between genetic factors and autism with the claim that “genes do not cause epidemics.”

It’s a weird feeling to turn on the TV and see the head of a government agency ostensibly dedicated to preserving your health and welfare talking about how he fundamentally regards you as less than human. During his bloviating speech, Kennedy made multiple dramatic overtures toward hypothetical parents of autistic children, claiming that autism “destroys families” and exclusively referring to the most extreme possible manifestations of autism spectrum disorder.

What Kennedy did not do was make a single statement acknowledging the agency or humanity of autistic individuals. His mental image of autism begins and ends with nonverbal children and fails to encompass the broad spectrum of autism, despite the fact that “fewer than 40% of children diagnosed with autism in 2022 were classified as having an intellectual disability.”

People are often surprised when they learn that I am autistic. I am more than capable of speech, as anyone who knows me can testify, and I can function adequately in most social situations. I am still, however, unquestionably and unreservedly autistic. I am hugely sensitive to sound and touch, and I am often overstimulated by the accumulation of social and sensory pressures.

Despite the difficulties that my autism presents, I do not consider it a life-ruining condition, and I would never dare suggest that it should be “cured” or that we should combat the “epidemic” of autism. My autism is an integral part of who I am, just as it is for so many people whom I know and love. It has been unbearable to see the appalling regression in popular and political discussions of autism in the decade since my diagnosis.

Kennedy’s mindset that autism is a specter to be combatted is a hurtful one based on outdated science that stems from Leo Kanner’s highly problematic definition of “classic autism,” as well as eugenics programs supported by the Nazis. His crass statements smooth over the nuances and complexities of autism in favor of crude fearmongering.

Even if autism solely included nonverbal individuals, Kennedy’s comments would still be unbelievably cruel. There is considerable evidence that nonverbal autistic individuals still possess rich inner lives and, in some cases, savant-level intelligence.

I strongly believe that the best way to support autistic people is not by scrambling to find the cause of autism, or searching for some way to “cure” or “treat” the disorder, but instead by facilitating greater understanding and support. Autistic people are capable of contributing to society; many of the most prominent technology entrepreneurs of the last several decades are autistic, as are artists, including Anthony Hopkins and David Byrne. Byrne, incidentally, is the author of my favorite poem.

Treating autism as a looming evil rather than the complex condition that it is prevents the flourishing of autistic individuals who have the capacity to do amazing things.