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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney
@jpitney.bsky.social
1.1K followers 210 following 950 posts
Professor of government, Claremont McKenna College.
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 6h
A judge has paused Trump's firings in the special education office. People in the autism community should not get their hopes up. Even if the pause holds up on appeal, this lawless administration is likely to ignore or circumvent it. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/judg...
Judge Pauses the Attack on Special Ed
In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics.  Many posts  have discussed Trump's  bad record  on  dis...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 1d
Trump is gutting the federal law on special education by firing most of the staffers who enforce it. He is endangering the 7.5 million students in special ed. Their parents should be screaming. So should congressional Democrats. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/trum...
Trump's Attack on Special Ed
In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics.  Many posts  have discussed Trump's  bad record  on  dis...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 2d
Project 2025 proposed gutting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by turning it into a "no-strings" block grant. Trump is trying to achieve the same goal by firing most of the staff who enforce that law. Autistic kids will suffer. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/gutt...
Gutting the Special Ed Office
In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics.  Many posts  have discussed Trump's  bad record  on  dis...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 3d
Hey Albany Airport, you need to stop playing the Kristi Noem TSA video. Its partisan content is a clear violation of the Hatch Act: 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326, other airports have taken it down.
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 3d
In 2025, the US has the highest number of measles cases since 1992, and the toll keeps mounting. Contrary to the lies of Trump and RFK Jr, vaccines don't cause autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/meas...
Measles, Fall 2025
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 4d
Trump despises people with disabilities such as autism. Accordingly, he is slashing the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/trum...
Trump's Attack on People with Disabilities
In The Politics of Autism , I discuss the issue's role in presidential politics. Many posts have discussed Trump's bad record on disabili...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 5d
RFK Jr. connects autism to circumcision. No matter how you slice it, he is talking nonsense. As past Surgeons General confirm, he is a menace to public health. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/kenn...
Kennedy v. People Who Know What They Are Talking About
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 6d
RFK Jr. links autism to circumcision. Actual experts respond with cutting remarks. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/rfk-...
RFK Jr. v ... Circumcision?
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 7d
KFF survey: half of Republicans believe Trump's claim that Tylenol use during pregnancy can cause autism in children, despite no evidence of a causal relationship. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/kff-...
KFF Poll on Tylenol and Autism
A  number  o f  posts  discussed  Trump 's  support  for  discredited notion s about autism T he Sept 22 White House news conference   was a...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 8d
Study: TikTok is a vector for autism stigma and misinformation. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/tikt...
TIkTok, Instagram, Stigma, and Misinformation
In  The Politics of Autism , I  examine  the role of  social media  in the  development  of the  issue .  Ononuju, U.A., Ujari, C.A. Stigm...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 9d
Surgeons general from Republican and Democratic administrations: "the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are endangering the health of the nation." tinyurl.com/rfkisamenace
Opinion | Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr.
We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.
tinyurl.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 9d
Every time RFK Jr. talks about #autism, he subtracts from the sum total of human knowledge. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/envi...
Environmental Exposures
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 10d
RFK Jr. excites the antivax nuts, but overall, he will be a political liability to the GOP -- especially after the disease toll mounts. Contrary to his lies, vaccines don't cause autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/rfk-...
RFK and the 2026 Midterms
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 12d
Despite serious questions about his criminal conviction, Texas is about to kill an autistic man named Robert Roberson. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/10/will...
Will Texas Kill an Autistic Man?
In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss   interactions  between the  justice system  and  autistic people . An autistic man is on death ro...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 15d
A number of parents and clinicians favor the creation of a separate category, profound autism, for people with the most severe disabilities. As with all aspects of #autism, there is deep disagreement and controversy. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2023/04/prof...
Profound Autism and Prevalance
In  The Politics of Autism , I write: The most basic questions trigger angry arguments. For instance,  into what category do we put autism...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 15d
RFK Jr. has long spread the dangerous lie that vaccines cause autism. He might soon add autism to the list of conditions covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, potentially bankrupting the program and increasing vaccine hesitancy. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/rfk-...
RFK Might Bankrupt the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 17d
The Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee is seeking nominations for public members. Those eligible for nomination include adults on the autism spectrum as well as parents, guardians, or family members of autistic people. Details here: www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/iacc...
IACC Nominations
In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss   the  Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee  and  research priorities . AGENCY:  National ...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 18d
In the not-too-distant past, many autistic people ended up in "insane asylums." Trump wants to bring them back. autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/trum...
Trump and Stigma
In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss  the issue's  role in campaign  politics .    In the 2016 campaign , a  number  of  posts  discusse...
autismpolicyblog.com
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Reposted by Jack Pitney
ericmgarcia.bsky.social
Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 19d
Something I hadn’t even considered until I wrote this piece:
Not taking Tylenol is not an option for #ActuallyAutistic moms since many of them experience pain and nausea and many of them have hypermobility, which increases pain during pregnancy.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Autistic moms are livid after Trump and RFK Jr blame Tylenol — and them
Autistic moms tell Eric Garcia that they fear Trump’s outlandish and conspiratorial claims about autism and Tylenol both erase their needs and those of their children
www.independent.co.uk
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 19d
Good news: NIH is funding some legit autism research.
Bad news: Trump and RFK continue to lie through their teeth about autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/a-bi...
A Bit of Good NIH News
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 20d
RFK Jr. said that at least 40% of autism moms believed that vaccines had injured their kids. This number seems to come from a 2006 pilot study that surveyed a grab sample of just 41 parents. It did not purport to be an accurate measure of public opinion. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/rfks...
RFK's Lies
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 21d
For decades, we autism parents have dealt with needless guilt and false hopes of medical "cures." The Trump-RFK Jr. news conference made our lives worse. autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/blas...
Blast Radius from the Trump News Conference
A  number  o f  posts  discussed  Trump 's  support  for  the discredited notion . T he Monday White House news conference  was a firehose o...
autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 22d
Nearly everything Trump says about autism is a damnable lie. autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/more...
More on Trump's Cruel Lies
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...
autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 23d
Trump's lies about autism were cruel. He needlessly inflicted guilt on autism moms for taking Tylenol and vaccinating their kids. Even worse, his comments will discourage vaccination and lead to vaccine-preventable disease. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/dish...
Dishonest, Reckless, and Cruel
In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...
www.autismpolicyblog.com
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jpitney.bsky.social
Jack Pitney @jpitney.bsky.social · 24d
Acetaminophen is just one of dozens of purported causes of autism, and the evidence is weak. Some studies suggest that leucovorin might ease some autism symptoms in some children. That's all one can honestly say. Don't expect honesty from Trump. autismpolicyblog.com/2025/09/caus...
Causes
Worth repeating in light of today's scheduled White House announcement about acetaminophen :   In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss  vario...
autismpolicyblog.com
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