RFK, Jr.’s revised autism advisory board cancels first public meeting
The cancellation of a meeting of the committee that guides federal autism research funding followed the announcement that an independent group of autism scientists would meet the same day.
Andrew Harnik/Staff/Getty Images
The government’s advisory board on autism research has canceled a public meeting scheduled for March 19. It would have been the first public meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), a group that guides federally funded autism research, since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. completely changed the group’s membership in January. he appointed 21 new membersSome of whom are vaccine skeptics.
News of cancellation came On March 7, same week A group of autism experts Formed an independent group to combat misinformation. This outside group, calling itself the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC), scheduled a meeting on the same day as the federal IACC meeting. The rival group includes several former members of the federal advisory board.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the cancellation in an email. scientific American. In a post shared on
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The IACC historically meets four times a year to discuss directions for autism research and make recommendations to leaders of federal agencies that study autism or provide services to autistic people. It has not met since President Trump took office for a second term.
The formation of a competing committee of autism scientists is part of a broader effort to fill gaps in public health left by agencies under the Trump administration. This includes states forming regional health coalitions and medical organizations issuing vaccine schedule recommendations.
Helen Tager-Flusberg, an autism researcher who served on the federal advisory committee from 2019 to 2025, is now a member of the 12-person independent group. In a statement sent to scientific American, He said the new group will become “an important tool to vigorously respond to the damage the Secretary of HHS has done to the future of autism science by appointing a committee that is filled with people who dismiss decades of evidence on the causes of autism.”
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