Kennedy launches major US study into the causes of autism

The US government under Donald Trump has launched a new research initiative: the Autism Data Science Initiative is to receive up to $50 million in funding.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, more than 500 universities, research institutions, and organizations have applied to participate. By the end of September, 25 projects will be selected to receive federal funding.

The goal is to use large data sets to better understand the genetic and environmental causes of autism and to evaluate the effectiveness of current treatment methods. The first results are expected in two to three years.

The initiative is being coordinated by the Department of Health and Human Services under the direction of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

It is separate from a controversial study on vaccine safety that Kennedy also initiated – despite the scientific consensus that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

Kennedy also announced plans to introduce new policy measures on autism in September.
No specific data or studies to justify these changes have been published to date.

In the US, about 1 in 31 children are currently diagnosed with autism – a significant increase over previous decades.

However, experts point out that this increase is not necessarily due to an increase in cases.
Rather, an expanded definition of the diagnosis and better detection play a decisive role.

(reuters, sie)