Melissa in the Morning: Autism Diagnosis Rates

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. discusses the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, during a press conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Melissa in the Morning: Autism Diagnosis Rates

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wants to move away from what he calls an “ideology” that the rising rate of autism in the U.S. is the result of better diagnoses. The Secretary of Health and Human Services contradicted the CDC after releasing its latest report of rising autism diagnoses in the nation. We got perspective on the report from Dr. Fred Volkmar, Director of the SCSU Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Image Credit: Reuters