You know what is a human right? Communication

Autism is extraordinarily heterogeneous, yet we continue to study causes and treatments as though it were a single, uniform condition. Without meaningful subtyping, important biological signals can be diluted or obscured, and potentially effective treatments for specific groups may appear ineffective when evaluated across the entire autism population. We urgently need biologically anchored subtypes that can help identify distinct mechanisms, trajectories, and treatment responses. This is essential if we are serious about moving toward precision medicine and providing each person with care that reflects their individual biology and needs.

Perhaps the most important distinction of the new Strategic Plan is its focus on translation and accountability. It is not enough to simply advance the science, the goal must be to ensure that meaningful discoveries reach the individuals and families who need them. This plan creates a pathway for research to move from discovery to real-world impact, with accountability mechanisms to ensure progress does not stall along the way. Ultimately, it brings greater urgency and accountability to turning scientific progress into meaningful improvements in the daily lives of people with autism. iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/iacc-m…

JUST ANNOUNCED: HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and Vice President JD Vance will speak at the MAHA Summit tomorrow, Tuesday, September 29.

One of President Trump’s main focuses for this administration was to Make America Healthy Again. Since January 2025, thanks to the work of @SecKennedy and the team over at @HHSGov, we have been fulfilling that promise to the American people, and the great MAHA movement. Tune in tomorrow to hear more about the great work being done, and what is coming in the future to secure a stronger nation full of healthier Americans.

May your story find safe harbor 🫶🏼

"Children born without ASD to FRAA-positive mothers prenatally supplemented with folinic acid remained ASD-free at preschool age" pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4279… Potentially really important. And "the single folinic acid-group ASD case was attributable to a pathogenic SHANK2 variant"

Once you realize that even talking openly about regression, despite regression being documented in a substantial subset of children with autism (30-40%), can be met with dismissal and skepticism, it adds an entirely new layer to this conversation. When so many parents believe they witnessed a specific trigger preceding a profound change in their child, their observations deserve to be heard and studied rigorously, not mocked, dismissed, or treated as though asking the question itself is unacceptable. What are we even doing? These are children. Their experiences matter. Their parents’ observations matter. And getting the science right matters.

Who reviews grants shapes what gets funded. Research expertise alone has not delivered the kind of translation that reduces suffering and morbidity in autism. Clinical care and lived experience are essential. The adopted IACC 2026–2028 Strategic Plan calls for bringing both into the grant review process.

There is empirical evidence that the environmentally sensitive neurodevelopmental window extends beyond the prenatal period and birth. #autism #regression #neurodevelopmentalregression

The immune system is inextricably and reciprocally linked to the functioning of the brain and nervous system👇🏼

Sylvia Fogel, Reshaping US Autism Research Strategy An autism mom with the world at fingertips, who never stopped working for our kids. You are the best, @FogelSylvia Sylvia Fogel. thetransmitter.org/spectrum/…

.@SecKennedy shares new and recent @HHSGov actions to address autism: ▶️ @NIH launched the Autism Data Science Initiative ▶️ @ARPA_H launched SPECTRA — a major program that will integrate genetic, environmental, metabolic, immune, microbiome, and other biological data to advance autism research ▶️ The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee is calling to nearly double federal funding for research

A New Focus on Regression: Secretary Kennedy Announces National Initiative piped.video/0sETXeoq2aY?si=_dSE… via @YouTube @SecKennedy

So happy to see @SecKennedy announce a new Federal spending of $57Million for the National Neurodevelopmental Regression Initiative. 🙏🏼🌟🙏🏼 This population has deserved answers for decades! LFG!!

I talked with @AutismMomTracy about regression in our podcast that will drop Saturday. I’m so grateful that more research and focus is addressing regression.

piped.video/U1kVDeXY5Rc?si… Today, the announcement of a new National Neurodevelopmental Regression Initiative represents something families like ours have been asking for: a serious, coordinated effort to understand why some children regress, what is happening biologically when they do, and what can be done to prevent, treat, or reverse it. Behind every statistic is a child. Behind every research question is a family still waiting for answers. Here, is a portion of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee’s presentation on neurodevelopmental regression and the importance of making it a research priority: piped.video/U1kVDeXY5Rc?si…

The great news is that what the National Autistic Society says does not change the science—or the scientific consensus. Autism is understood to arise from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. That reality doesn’t change based on the messaging of any single organization. What is especially troubling is seeing an established scientific consensus narrowed to support a preferred narrative while minimizing or omitting evidence that complicates it. That isn’t how the full body of science should be communicated. Science is determined by evidence, not advocacy. We should be willing to consider the entire body of evidence, acknowledge uncertainty where it exists, and continue asking the difficult questions that can move autism research forward.

TODAY IS THE DAY! Please consider your donation today in honor of kids with autism! We are supporting three specific projects in our inaugural NTXGD year! northtexasgivingday.org/orga… 1. A comprehensive review paper on autism, wandering and drowning. 2. Research on the issue of nutritional deficiencies and their subsequent disease states in autism. 3. Research to advance a biomarker screening test for autism. Please consider giving to this amazing cause! We are at a pivotal point in autism research with some exciting work ahead! northtexasgivingday.org/orga…

“Autism Is Genetic”: The Science Is More Complicated Than the Headline. A Response. makeastand4autism.substack.c…