A woman raises her hand at an IACC meeting, before the purge
Autism researchers are pushing back against RFK Jr’s purge
SOURCE: Schweitzer K, JAMA 2026 Apr 17
ARTICLE TYPE: Medical news report
The Purge
For over two decades, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has advised the US government. In January, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services replaced all sitting members with 21 new appointees, cutting out patient advocacy groups ( like Autism Speaks, private foundation, and experts. Several new members have ties to Children’s Health Defense, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s anti-vaccine organization, and some support interventions that were proven not to work, like chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Pushing Back
In response, Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, created a new organization with the same acronym, the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee (I-ACC), and scheduled their meetings at the same time as RFK Jr’s IACC. The federal meeting was then canceled without explanation. The I-ACC now has 12 members, including the two most recent former directors of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Tom Insel, MD, and Joshua Gordon, MD, PhD.
Among their concerns are cuts to mental health research and a flow of federal misinformation on autism. The I-ACC is recruiting more representation from patients and families and has made their meetings transparent online.
— Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report
What’s Your Take? Share in Comments
- What are your thoughts on the split?
- What are the pros- and cons- you see to the new federal approach on autism?
