RFK at HHS, the last hope for our children
Kennedy needs to wake up the world to the existential crisis we are all facing
Saying that our only hope is to have Robert Kennedy, Jr. at HHS may sound like hyperbole, but looking carefully at where we are today, it is undeniably valid.
Over the past several decades we have become a nation of the chronically ill and disabled, and this is especially true when we focus on our children. I can say this based on my experience as both a mother and a teacher, witnessing firsthand the decline of children.
The people who are supposedly in charge of health care aren’t there to promote the interests of Americans. Instead, their first allegiance is to corporations that have infiltrated every aspect of government oversight.
I recently wrote about the past 25 years of obfuscation and denial from officials at the Centers for Disease Control when it comes to the increases in autism, and that is only one example of the rampant malfeasance in our oversight agencies.
HOW CDC COVERED UP THE AUTISM EPIDEMIC
And I can confidently predict that when the CDC gets around to updating the official U.S. autism rate, probably to coincide with the celebrations during April, Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, our numbers will be close to other places with even higher rates, and like every increase over the past 25 years, officials will have no idea what’s driving the numbers or if there is really more autism.
We are now so used to these increases, we just accepted things, no matter how bad the numbers. No one asks questions, and no one bothers to speculate on when these increases will end. Lots of places have rates higher than the one in 36 in the U.S., but no one is worried. It’s expected by now.
2023, British Columbia: one in every 29 children has autism
2024 Australia: one in every 25 children
2024, Scotland: one in every 23 children
2020, California: one in every 22 children
2022, Ireland: one in every 21 children
2023, Northern Ireland: one in every 20 children
2024, Minnesota: one in every 16 Somali children
After 25 years of looking at the media coverage, I had almost given up hope that things would ever change, but the prospect of Robert Kennedy heading the Department of Health and Human Services seems to offer us a last chance to turn things around.
On the HHS website, we read:
The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.
Clearly they have failed in their mission. Americans today are universally exposed to toxic food, untested vaccines and poisonous additives in household products. Our federal health officials don’t seem to have noticed how sick we are, mostly because their agencies are centers of corruption, conflicts and cover-up. A revolving door exists between HHS, CDC, NIH, FDA and the industries they’re supposed to regulate, Big Ag, Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Chem.
Kennedy’s position at HHS is important for Americans and also for the entire globe, since the U.S. is the world leader when it comes health care. Nothing is going to change until America takes a leadership role, waking up the world to the dismal state of health in the 21st century and what we must do to change things.
LOSS OF BRAIN TRUST
For the past eight years I have catalogued news reports, now totaling almost 10,000, on the collapsing cognitive health of children, specifically the explosion in developmental disorders like autism and ADHD. Looking at the stories on my Loss of Brain Trust website, it’s clear how bad the downward spiral is right now, and predicted to get worse.
A lot of these stories are from the UK and Ireland, but America is quickly catching up. Incredibly, it’s only been in recent weeks that the British Parliament has finally, after decades of decline, assigned a committee to investigate why there are these continuous increases in disabled students in their schools.
There are endless reports from across Britain and Ireland about always more special schools because there are always more disabled students with more complex needs.
This of course has resulted in many local city and county councils facing bankruptcy because of the massive cost of all these special needs students in their schools.
RECENT STORIES
Here is a brief look at how bad things are. Now multiply these stories by thousands.
MPs warn over ‘lost generation’ as spiralling support costs present Chancellor with £5bn [$6.2B] black hole.
The cost of supporting schoolchildren with special needs such as autism and ADHD risks pushing almost half of all English councils into bankruptcy by 2026, MPs have warned...
Public accounts committee demands a 'clear, costed plan' to solve the SEND crisis, as chair warns governments have failed 'countless' children 'for years'. . . .
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, described an “emergency that has been allowed to run and run”. . . .
He said the “immensity of this situation cannot be overstated”. . . .
At the same time, we are creating an existential financial risk for some local authorities, caused by that same failing system.”
Almost a third of pupils are getting extra time in GCSE and A-level exams under rules to help the soaring numbers of children with special educational needs. . . .
Others said the numbers reflected the sharp rise in children with learning difficulties.
The standard allocation is 25 per cent extra time. . . .
A small number of children with complex needs are given even more time. . . .
More than 1.6 million pupils in England are designated as having special needs. The DfE said there had been a growth in autism, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs in recent years.
Parents have blasted a school for their 'discriminatory' and 'unfair' policy to leave children in dirty nappies [diapers] until their caregivers arrive to change them.
The 'change your own child's nappy' rule comes into force this new 2025 term due to the amount of time staff spending changing children who aren't potty trained.
The measure was introduced throughout Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, due to the growing number of children in reception and nursery classes still being in nappies. . . .
'However based on data collection from schools on their experience of very high levels of pupils coming to school in nappies we have introduced this policy.
Pupil numbers are expected to fall by 2% between 2025 and 2027 - but any savings are likely to be "wiped out" by the "spiralling costs" of special educational needs provision, a new report says. . . .
The government has projected SEND spending will grow by £2.3bn [$2.8B] between now and 2027 without reforms.
The IFS said this will make finding savings in the schools' budget "impossible without cutting mainstream per pupil spending in real terms".
The £2m [$2.5M] scheme is transforming the former Woodfield Community Primary School, at Bilton in Harrogate, which closed in 2022. . . .
The council said the school will help address a rising demand for specialist education in North Yorkshire.
It said the number of young people identified with special education needs and disabilities and an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in the area had increased by more than 110% since 2016.
The growth in demand means an additional capacity of 350 special education needs and disabilities school places will be developed over the next three to five years. . . .
Derbyshire County Council has allocated nearly £1m [$1.2M] of Government funding for a Shirebrook primary school and nursery as part of its on-going plans to increase special educational needs places by 300 across the county.
The county council’s Cabinet previously approved plans for £4,838,000 [$6M] from an £11m [$14M] pot of Government funding . . .
A report presented to the forum highlighted that, despite increased funding in the High Needs Block, growing demand for Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the rising complexity of needs are driving budget pressures.
Chris Morris, chief officer for education, SEND, and schools infrastructure, acknowledged the challenge.
“Our High Needs Block funding in the DSG [Dedicated Schools Grant] is increased by 7.2 per cent next year, which is very welcome,” he said.
“However [the report] would show that the proposed budget expenditure for next year is a 16.5 per cent increase, which clearly places us in a position of facing down a further deficit this year as the increase in funding is not at the same level as our anticipated expenditure.”
Over the past decade, the number of children receiving an education health and care plan (EHCP) detailing their extra needs has increased. The figure rose from 5,000 in 2015 to 10,000 in 2020, and it continues to grow each year.
As of October 2024, the local authority manages more than 17,000 EHCPs.
Around 40 per cent of students with an EHCP also need a spot in a specialist school.
The need for an increase in school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) has been highlighted by a new Swindon council report.
In the past year, demand for the services has risen at a greater rate in Swindon than the national average, with particular concern expressed about the lack of provision in the south and east of the borough. . . .
It said: "There are currently over 2,720 children with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) in Swindon.
"While in the last year, requests for EHCP assessments have risen nationally by 20%, in Swindon assessment requests have risen by 38%." . . .
It also acknowledged the number of children with EHCPs is likely to rise further in the coming years.
Worcestershire has seen a "shocking" rise in the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) being home-schooled, often "by default", and running the risk of falling "out of sight" of the education system.
From fewer than 50 in 2016, the number has risen to almost 300.
A further 88 children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) were being home-schooled as of September 2024, according to Worcestershire County Council.
One campaigner said parents felt they had no choice but to pursue home schooling, because "the system is letting them down" over school places.
Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB) has announced that it will become patron of the county’s latest special school, opening in Nenagh for the 2025/26 academic year. . . .
Special schools support students with more severe and, or complex special educational needs in cases where full-time placement in mainstream classrooms would not benefit the student. . .
“Prior to the dissolution of the last Dáil, the outgoing government confirmed that five new special schools would be built nationally, with one of these to be located in County Tipperary.
A Westmeath primary school principal is to flag a severe shortage of secondary school places for autistic children in the county with the Irish Primary Principals Network.
Two autism classes are currently running in St Josephs National School Killucan - with three sixth class pupils currently on waiting lists. . . .
The current ratio in the school is 1 teacher and 2 SNA'S to six children - there's concern among parents that there's no prospects of that ratio being maintained.
It's understood there's a lack of places across the county overall with refusal letters set to increase after Christmas.
Sé McCarthy is the Principal of St Josephs National School Killucan - he says it's completely unfair on children with special needs.
The number of [special education plans] in West Sussex has risen from 3,423 in 2015 to 8,802 at the end of September 2024, with that number continuing to rise.
Officers say children's needs are becoming more complex, with one-to-one support increasingly necessary.
“We have spent something like £80 million [$99M] more than we have been allocated by the government for the SEND area and that’s sitting on Oxfordshire County Council’s balance sheet.
Measures to create an extra 100 school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will save millions and help vulnerable youngsters, say council leaders. . . .
If it does not act on the issue, Stockton Council is predicted to go almost £35m [$43M] in the red in two years' time. Now it says it can save £15m [$19M] in the next three years by changing how it looks after SEND children. . . .
"This is a local and national challenge, there's always been an increase in demand year on year, and it seems to be exceptional at the moment. . . .
Over 200 children with a statement of special educational needs in Northern Ireland are in a school that isn't suitable, it has emerged. . . .
The news comes as the Education Authority warns of a “critical and imminent” need for all schools in Northern Ireland to include provision for children with special educational needs.
The EA launched its new operational plan for 2024-26 this week, which states that in the next decade, the number of pupils in schools in the region will decrease, but the total number of children with identified additional needs will rise.
The plan aims to address key priorities in primary, special and post-primary education, with a focus on meeting the increasing demand for SEN places.
That’s just a small sample of the situation abroad, and we’re seeing the same things here in the the US.
Children today cannot behave or learn like children have always been expected to. Schools have to change to accommodate them as these stories show.
New school planned for former American Legion building
T. Greg Wertheim envisions the former American Legion property in Kewanee as the home of one of the finest facilities in Illinois for youths with autism and other cognitive difficulties.
Wertheim is the executive director of the Henry-Stark Counties Special Education District, which is purchasing the Legion building on Railroad Avenue for $300,000. . . .
Wertheim said the facility will be able to accommodate up to 40 students, although he expects there will be about 25 going there when it opens.
There will be 30 staff members at the facility, . . .
At a news conference on Monday, Connecticut Democrat party leaders identified two top priorities for the upcoming session: special education and housing.
“The biggest driver of municipal budgets is the Board of Ed budget, and the biggest driver of Board of Education budgets is special education,” Speaker of the House Rep. Matt Ritter (D-Hartford) said at the conference.
“Autism diagnoses have increased by around 175% in the last decade. We used to see it in around 1 in 500 kids now its 1 in 36,” said Rachael Cundall, a board certified behavior analyst in Omaha. . . .
According to DHHS from 2020 to 2023 state Medicaid aid towards ABA rose from $4.6 Million in 2020 to $52 million in 2023.
DHHS is now proposing new rules that could would limit care hours and change the qualifications needed to work as a Registered Behavioral Technician from a high school diploma to a bachelor’s with work experience.
A specialized elementary mental health program to be called Harbor, proposed as part of Dover's school budget at the School Board's Nov. 25 budget workshop, was not included in this budget cycle.
The goal of the proposed program was to create a specialized program to support behavioral and therapeutic needs, aiming to address significant out-of-district special education program costs and a 37% spike in reported emotional disturbance among students in the last two years in grades K-12.
The cost to pay for special education students in Stamford to attend out-of-district educational facilities has ballooned this school year, and local officials are worried the trend will continue.
The budget for out-of-district placements . . .is expected to reach a deficit of roughly $2.2 million this current fiscal year. . . .
But looking toward next year, school officials are projecting an out-of-district budget increase of about $4.9 million to the operating budget. . . .
The deficit this year is mostly driven by an unexpected increase in the number of students needing to be transferred to specialized providers, data shows. Over the past seven years, the number of students who fit that description increased by an average of two students every year. This year, that number skyrocketed to 23 more students.
The reason for the dramatic increase is unclear, Fealey said.
Across Maine School Administrative District 75, nearly 25% of students were enrolled in special education services during the 2023-24 school year, up from 21% five years earlier.
Maine and the nation have seen a similar rise in special education enrollment, with experts attributing much of the long-term trend to improved identification practices and increased awareness of developmental and learning disabilities.
“We’re noticing, at the middle school and the district, that our special education numbers are ballooning as needs are increasing,” . . .
Special education enrollment has risen to 34% among sixth graders and 30% among fifth graders within MSAD 75, according to Hayes Teague.
The figure is 27% at Mt. Ararat High School and 25% at the middle school. It ranges from 14% to 30% among the district’s five elementary schools, with Harpswell Community School having the lowest numbers. . . .
Behavior Frontiers, an organization known for autism care and applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, announced the grand opening of its fourth and largest Minnesota center located in Eagan Thursday.
Spanning 9,643 square feet, the new center is designed to meet the rising demand for quality autism care and provide resources for children with autism.
Bryant provided an overview of the 94 students receiving special education services in the district, which accounts for 22% of the total 419 students enrolled at SCS. . . .
Morrison expanded on the presentation by discussing the specific needs of students with disabilities. She emphasized the increasing demand for speech and occupational therapy, particularly among preschool age students.
Lawmakers failed to pass this year’s school discipline bill aimed at helping elementary teachers
Last week, an elementary student violently attacked Kanawha County principal Stephanie Haynes for 38 minutes. . . .
Haynes recalled that last year, the same boy tried to stab her with a night lock system that was meant to keep schools safe from intruders.
The Republican-led Legislature is trying to figure out how to help teachers deal with worsening elementary student behaviors that are crippling teaching time. . . .
Four educators shared stories with lawmakers about kids’ violent outbursts, ongoing disruptions and incidents where they were physically attacked. . . .
“There have been times they’ve been so violent, we’ve had to remove all the other kids from the classroom …
New York
BOCES says the need for specialized education services is on the rise, and that’s only a trend here at home, In fact, . . .the number of public school students receiving special education services is at an all time high.
Nationwide it’s 15 percent. . . Here in New York State, more than one out of every five students are enrolled in special education services. . .. . .
Recently released state budget data shows the counts and costs of special education are rising dramatically in Minnesota. The forecast projects special education services to rise by $1.7 billion by 2029. The growth has already begun. . . .
The overall number of students using special education services has grown from about 110,000 to 150,000 in the last 10 years. That’s about 18 percent of the state’s public school student population. . .
Screening at clinics has gotten better, she added, with more kids getting diagnoses on the autism spectrum, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia and other diagnoses that may require school support. . . .
Contreras said. “Student populations and enrollment may or may not be growing in our schools, but the percentage of students with special ed needs is.”
It’s not just that more students need services. It’s also that the services they need are more complex and it’s getting more difficult to hire staff to meet those needs.
Some 19.8% of the student body had some kind of IEP as of Dec. 1, 2023, when the federal government conducted its annual count, up from 19.6% the same time last year. . . .
The share of students with IEPs has been increasing steadily over the last decade, up from 14.8% in 2014.
The current near-20% of students with IEPs is comparable to other large school districts, like Fargo, West Fargo, Minot and Bismarck.
Lately, the district has added a sixth autism classroom at the elementary level, . . .
Early Childhood Special Education – which serves children ages 3 to 5 with developmental delays – has also seen increases, . . .
Texas is clawing back more than $607 million per year in federal funding for special education services, a move local school district officials say will likely worsen already strained budgets for students with disabilities.
Bewildered by the sudden changes, school district officials and special education advocates say little has been communicated about why these drastic changes are happening.
“We're seeing an increased number of students that need more and more individualized care,” said Katie Abbott, special education director . . .
The growing numbers of special needs children looms over the future. What will happen to all these children as adults?
Back in March, 2023, it was announced that 80 percent of American youth were unfit for military service.
The United States has seen military enlistment numbers drop and there’s a big reason behind that. According to a study from the Department of Defense, 80% of Americans between the ages of 17 to 24 are unfit for military service.
Reasons people have been deemed unfit are being overweight, drug use, or physical and mental health. . . .
The story about the DoD study quickly died.
All the news reports on disabled children from the US, UK and Ireland are not isolated exclusively to the West
EVERYWHERE in the world we see the same situation. More students are disabled, but incredibly, just like here, most of it is chalked up to greater awareness. Of course the rest of the world takes their cue from the US, and that’s the official position here.
Zahra No'parast, Director General of the Rehabilitation, Education, and Professional Bureau of the Welfare Organization, stated that autism is not a disease but a disorder of social interaction. . . .
No'parast emphasized that the primary cause of autism is still unknown. Genetic and environmental factors may contribute to its development, but genetics play a stronger role, and several genes are likely involved in the disorder. . . .
She also added that the increase in the number of cases is mainly due to increased awareness among families and advancements in diagnostic tools
S. Africa
You’re born autistic and you will always be autistic. . .
There are various reasons of course. Many people have a better understanding of it, and people are also a little bit more curious because of social media and information that’s also being placed on social media. . . .
Our understanding of autism is much better today than what it was 30 years ago. And because it is also so complex, so much more research has been done in autism to try and improve our understanding of autism.
The public awareness has also improved. Therefore it isn’t as misinterpreted or misdiagnosed.
The Ministry of Education is currently designing an autism school as a rise in diagnoses for children with autism and intellectual disorders was recorded in the last four years.
“You can see that the Ministry of Education has been championing that [special education needs] because of the amount of kids being referred, the number of parents saying something is a bit off with my kid, I just want them to be screened so we can find out if it is a disability so we can know what treatment to put in place,” Dr. Cheong told the News Room.
Dr. Cheong also believes that awareness of disabilities have greatly increased and that has led to a rise in diagnoses.
This significant rise in the number of individuals with autism diagnoses in the country is closely correlated with the wider adoption of screening tests and thus early recognition, Gültekin said. The surge also indicates a growing social awareness about autism. . . .
. . .The Autism Care Nepal Society is estimated to have 300,000 autistic children living in Nepal. The need for autism-specific legislation and comparable legal protections in Nepal is urgent given the enormous number of autistic children that is increasing daily. . . .
Bhutan
The National Disability Conference in Thimphu yesterday highlighted a growing concern over the increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a lack of understanding of the condition.
While there is no definitive data on the prevalence of ASD in Bhutan, research suggests that the number of cases is on the rise.
As demand for special education support grows, schools, parents and professionals are calling for more resources and support. . .
A recent survey by the Hong Kong Christian Service found that there are nearly 60,000 SEN students in the city, a figure that has doubled in the last 10 years. The Education Bureau reports that in the 2023/2024 school year there were 63 government-backed special needs schools serving 8,818 students, in addition to nine mainstream private schools with dedicated classes. These figures don’t include private and international schools offering varying levels of SEN assistance. . . .
The world looks to the United States when it comes to healthcare, and if our officials refuse to recognize the existential threat we’re facing as vast numbers of our children become increasingly sick and disabled, things will only get worse until finally everything collapses.
Robert Kennedy is the one chance we have to overhaul the corrupt and dangerous regulatory agencies that promote the interests of corporations over the welfare of US citizens. Our regulators have been accomplices in making us the sickest Americans in history.
Kennedy’s massive job will be to reverse the decades of corruption, to give us healthy, natural food and for the first time, discern if our vaccines are really safe and effective, something that easily flawed and manipulated population studies cannot do.
Kennedy needs to wake the world up to the reality of the increases we’re seeing in the stories I’ve included here. Children have not always had the disorders that are so common today. This is not greater awareness/better diagnosing. The evidence is overwhelming that an ever expanding, unchecked, unsafe, liability-free vaccine schedule, designed only to profit the pharmaceutical industry, is responsible for untold injury and suffering. This is the message that must get out.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Spectacular reporting. Anne, you didn't miss a thing. The lies about autism being reported for decades. Atism is the worst epidemic in medical history and yet, there continues to be so much denial. Of course, we know how Pharma, vaccine makers, many doctors are all behind the lies which the MSM prints, not to mention previous governments. A vote for RFK,Jr. is a vote to prove the truth about vaccines and autism-for once and for all.
Brilliant work Anne. I agree. This is a massive opportunity for change. I wake up feeling more hopeful. You do brilliant work on this - thankyou. I'm a late starter but have just launched The Autism Tribune on substack to build momentum for change in the UK in the wake of Kennedys appointment (and I pray it happens). Our time might have come. Please all share and sign up to my site if you can
https://theautismtribune.substack.com/p/the-autism-tribune