January 29, 2026 --  On January 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the appointment of 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).  This committee is responsible for guiding autism research priorities and providing guidance to the Secretary of HHS on federal activities related to autism. 

 

The Coalition of Autism Scientists is shocked and outraged at the absence of experienced scientific experts and leaders of mainstream advocacy organizations.  The majority of new members represent fringe and discredited ideas about the likely causes and appropriate treatments for autism.  The Coalition fears that the new IACC will dismantle the achievements of the past 25 years and steer a new strategic plan toward autism research that will fail to advance scientific discoveries or improvements in the lives of autistic people.

 

Members of the Coalition of Autism Scientists also publicly reacted. Their statements include:

 

• "The IACC committee that I served on had an excellent balance of established autism scientists, self-advocates, representatives of private autism funding agencies, parent advocacy groups  and governmental agencies. The announced IACC committee does not reflect this same balance."  David G. Amaral, Ph.D., UC Davis Distinguished Professor, The M.I.N.D. Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, Director, Autism BrainNet

 

• “The bulk of the recently appointed members appear to be people who adhere to untested, disproven, and sometimes dangerous ideas about what causes autism and the best ways to care for autistic people. The group appears stacked to give Secretary Kennedy political cover to continue his assault on life-saving vaccines and to promote unproven treatments. It is striking that the descriptions of each member for the most part leaves out any of the work they have done to promote untested or disproven theories about cause or treatment. My hope is that, as IACCs have done in the past, they will focus on the need to increase funding and expand care within the many public systems that serve the overwhelming majority of autistic people, including special education, Medicaid-funded services, and vocational and rehabilitation services." David S. Mandell, ScD,  Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

 

• "This group of public members represents a radical departure from all past rosters of the IACC.  There is a large number of parents, some of whom are leaders of fringe organizations and advocacy groups.  There are few scientists, none are among the leaders in the field.  Instead, they have been chosen for the views they hold rather than for their scientific credentials.  As a group, these people appear to have been chosen because their views are aligned with those held by the Secretary of HHS who sees autism as a ‘chronic disease’ that is preventable.  These are views that are counter to what we know about autism from decades of rigorous science." Helen Tager-Flusberg, Boston University, Founder Coalition of Autism Scientists.

 

The Autism Science Foundation summed up the situation in their statement, saying:

 

• The current committee has been hijacked by a narrow ideological agenda that does not reflect either the autism community or the state of autism science. By sidelining rigorous, evidence-based inquiry, this shift will stall scientific progress, distort research priorities, and ultimately harm people with autism and all who love and support them.

 

 We invite you to read their full statement HERE.