Jack Pitney's Avatar

Jack Pitney

@jpitney

Professor of government, Claremont McKenna College.

1,114
Followers
217
Following
1,084
Posts
11.08.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Jack Pitney @jpitney

Trump Got Pregnant Women to Take Less Tylenol A  number  o f  posts  have discussed  Trump 's  support  for  discredited notion s about autism T he   Sept 22 White House news conferenc...

Trump's bogus warning about Tylenol apparently persuaded pregnant women to take less. More lies mean more pain. Words matter. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/trum...

07.03.2026 13:18 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
IDEA Autism Numbers In  The Politics of Autism , I write about  social services ,  special education,  and the  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act  (ID...

New data show that the number of students with disabilities increased between 2023 and 2024. Autism accounted for 40% of the total increase. It now accounts for about 15% of all school-age students with disabilities. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/idea...

06.03.2026 13:40 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Low Confidence in RFK Jr. In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

RFK Jr. spent years spreading the lie that vaccines cause autism. A new survey delivers the verdict: Americans trust him less than any other source of public-health information. The bad news? Some people still trust him at all. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/low-...

05.03.2026 13:30 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Shadow IACC In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss   the  Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee  and  research priorities . RFK Jr. has stacked it ...

RFK Jr. stacked a federal autism advisory committee with antivaxxers. So leading autism researchers have created the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee. Their goal: build a real, science-based research agenda for the autism community. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/shad...

04.03.2026 15:04 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
More College Students Seek Accommodations In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss  the  growing number  of  college students  on the  spectrum .   Mark Arsenault and Steven Rich at...

More and more college students are seeking accommodations for disabilities such as autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/more...

02.03.2026 14:14 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Cost of Declining MMR Coverage In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

RFK Jr. and other antivaxxers spread the lie that vaccines cause autism. The result? Measles is roaring back. Outbreaks will cost billions in public health spending and hospital care. But the real cost isn’t financial. It’s the kids who didn’t have to die. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/03/the-...

01.03.2026 15:05 👍 7 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
RFK Jr's Global Disinformation Virus In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

Lies travel. So does measles. For years, RFK Jr. pushed the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. Now that myth is going global. So are the outbreaks. When America exports anti-vaccine conspiracies, other countries pay the price. And so do we. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/rfk-...

28.02.2026 18:08 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
CDC : 1,136 Measles Cases So Far This Year In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

RFK Jr. spent decades pushing the lie that vaccines cause autism.
Now he’s HHS Secretary.
Result? 1,136 measles cases, already more than all of 2024.
And it’s only February.
www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/cdc-...

27.02.2026 16:59 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Del Bigtree In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...

Antivaxxer Del Bigtree -- a key RFK Jr. ally who served as his campaign comms director -- has spread the dangerous myth that vaccines cause autism. He says it's okay for kids to catch vaccine-preventable diseases. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/del-...

25.02.2026 14:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Police Training in California In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss  interactions  between  police  and  autistic people .   When cops  encounter  autistic people , th...

Interactions with police sometimes go very badly for autistic people. Police could benefit from appropriate training. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/poli...

24.02.2026 17:03 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preventing Autism? In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss  various ideas  about  what  causes the condition .  Dozens of potential causes and correlates ha...

Some researchers say it's possible to"prevent" autism. Beware: studies have examined dozens of potential causes and correlates. The evidence is murky at best. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/prev...

23.02.2026 13:57 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Trump Administration Tries to Downplay RFK's Antivax Policy In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

A Trump official said: “I think we’re largely done with vaccines.” After years of RFK Jr.’s antivax crusade, now they want a walkback? Too little. Too late. Measles cases are spreading. They may be “done with vaccines.” But measles isn’t done with America. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/trum...

22.02.2026 14:00 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
Purple Alerts Under Consideration in Washington State The Politics of Autism  discusses the problems of  wandering  and  day-to-day safety. From the Urbatsch Law Firm : Purple Alerts are a publ...

The Washington Legislature is considering a Purple Alert system, already in place in 5 other states. A Purple Alert is a public notification system to help locate missing adults with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities such as autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/purp...

21.02.2026 13:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The US has had 982 measles cases already in 2026: 3× more than all of 2024. Now it’s showing up at big airports -- the fastest way to seed outbreaks. When powerful figures such as RFK Jr. push the lie that vaccines cause autism, vaccination rates fall, and sickness spreads.

20.02.2026 15:54 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Congressional Republicans on Autism and Vaccines In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss  the  congressiona l   role  in the  issue .  Ariel Cohen at Roll Call : “If you stir the pot on t...

I get that Rep. Chris Smith wants to stay on good terms with all the factions of the autism community. But it's disappointing that he still entertains the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/cong...

19.02.2026 16:46 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
FDA Pulls Warning About Quack Autism "Cures" In  The Politics of Autism , I write: The conventional wisdom is that any kind of  treatment  is likely to be less effective as the child ge...

Under RFK Jr., the FDA withdrew its warning about bogus "cures" for autism. Some of these so-called treatments include industrial bleach, which can kill children. This nonsense isn’t “health freedom.” It’s public health malpractice. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/fda-...

18.02.2026 13:32 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Kennedy and Vaccines In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

RFK Jr. pushed the debunked myth that vaccines cause autism. Now his policies are chilling vaccine production and R&D. Fewer vaccines mean more kids get sick. Some will die. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/kenn...

17.02.2026 13:15 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Autistic Job Candidates in Academia In  The Politics of Autism ,  I  discus s the  employment  of people on the  autism spectrum . Gabriel Proulx at Inside Higher Ed : In ge...

Standard interview formats put autistic candidates for faculty positions at a disadvantage. Colleges and universities should remedy this problem. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/auti...

16.02.2026 16:58 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Profound Autism 2026 In  The Politics of Autism , I write: The most basic questions trigger angry arguments. For instance,  into what category do we put autism...

Within the autism community, there is an ongoing debate about creating a separate diagnosis of profund autism. It would apply to people with the most extensive support needs. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/prof...

15.02.2026 15:05 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Measles, Vaccine Mandates, and Elections In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

For years, Trump & RFK Jr. pushed the lie that vaccines cause autism. Measles is exploding in the worst surge in decades, yet Trump allies are pushing to END vaccine mandates for kids. This sleeper issue will hurt the GOP in the fall elections. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/meas...

14.02.2026 13:02 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Measles in Mid-February: 910 Cases This Year In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  di...

CDC reports 910 measles cases this year, and it’s only February. In all of 2016, there were 86. It’s the result of years of anti-vaccine propaganda from figures such as RFK Jr. Vaccines don't cause autism. Measles is back because lies went viral. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/meas...

13.02.2026 16:16 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
No Link Between COVID Vaccine and Autism In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...

Study: no difference in autism rates in babies born to moms who got COVID-19 vaccines just before or during pregnancy, compared with children of unvaccinated mothers. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/no-l...

12.02.2026 13:56 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Study: Prevalence Increase May Reflect Improved Identification In  The Politics of Autism , I discuss the  uncertainty  surrounding  estimates  of autism  prevalence .  Furnier SM, Gangnon R, Durkin MS. ...

Study: "The increase in autism prevalence between 2000 and 2016 was confined to autism with milder phenotypes. This trend could indicate improved identification of milder forms of autism over time." www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/stud...

11.02.2026 14:26 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
RFK Jr. Lied About His Role in the Samoa Measles Outbreak In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...

For decades, RFK Jr. pushed the lie that vaccines cause autism. Now newly uncovered documents show he lied to the Senate about his role in Samoa’s deadly 2019 measles outbreak. He lies. And then he lies about lying. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/rfk-...

10.02.2026 13:29 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

A new study finds gaps in CA judges’ knowledge of autism, suggesting a need for better judicial training. autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/cali...

09.02.2026 13:56 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
733 In   The Politics of Autism , I  analyze  the  myth  that  vaccines   cause   autism . This  bogus  idea can  hurt  people by allowing  dise...

RFK Jr has long pushed the myth that vaccines cause autism.
His lies have consequences.
733 measles cases since Jan. 1.
Four times a full year.
www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/733....

07.02.2026 15:03 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
GAO Report: Office for Civil Rights Wasted Money, Dismissed Complaints In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss  the  civil rights  of  people  with  autism  and other  disabilities . The American Association of ...

Autistic students are among those who depend on the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. During last year's layoffs, it dismissed 90% of discrimination complaints. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/gao-...

06.02.2026 13:25 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Study: Male/Female Diagnosis Gap Narrows with Age In  The Politics of Autism , I  discuss   gender differences  in  autism   identification . Jackie Flynn Mogensen at Scientific American : A...

Study: the male/female autism diagnosis gap narrows with age, suggesting underdiagnosis of girls. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/stud...

05.02.2026 13:14 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Leucovorin Study Retracted A  number  o f  posts  discussed  Trump 's  support  for  dubious notion s about autism . The history of autism "cures"  is a history of  da...

Last fall, Trump and RFK Jr. rushed to hype leucovorin as an autism “treatment.” Awkward timing: the European Journal of Pediatrics has now retracted the largest study of its effectiveness. "Premature" doesn’t begin to cover it. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/leuc...

04.02.2026 15:05 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Rio's Law In  The Politics of Autism , I write: [M]any police departments have trained officers and other first responders  how to spot signs of autis...

Based on a South Carolina law -- Rio's Law -- a Georgia bill would create a specialty autism license plate. www.autismpolicyblog.com/2026/02/rios...

03.02.2026 13:34 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0