“There are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills, that have no autism.”

Multiple public remarks endorsing HHS Secretary Kennedy's framing

Groups that avoid vaccines do have autism. A screening study of Amish children, cited through its published conference abstract, found that "25 children screened positive for autism spectrum disorder, while further evaluation confirmed seven cases of autism." The premise that such groups do not vaccinate is also overstated: vaccination rates among the Amish are much lower than in surrounding populations, but "more than half of Amish children do get vaccinated" (Newsweek).

The vaccine link the claim implies does not hold up in large studies. A nationwide Danish cohort study published in Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that "MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children, and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination." The strongest point on the other side is official: the CDC's vaccine-safety page, as revised in 2026, says the claim that vaccines do not cause autism "is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." That is a statement that a link has not been excluded, not evidence that any group is free of autism.

"Researchers found that 25 children screened positive for autism spectrum disorder, while further evaluation confirmed seven cases of autism." (Newsweek, September 1, 2026)