Getting parents ready for the coming scarcity in autism diagnoses
Updated in 2025 with new information ...
I once thought the DSM would be the biggest barrier to autism diagnoses. I was wrong. With RFK Jr. at HHS and a eugenics-driven agenda in power, the fight isn’t just over services—it’s over existence itself.
Original Piece
A recent article at Psychology Today is a harbinger of things to come. It seems to me they’re getting parents ready for the time when diagnoses are reserved for only the Level 3 autistics.
The article seemingly provides an overview of autism and advice for parents of autistic children . It notes that autism diagnosis rates have increased dramatically, possibly due to both greater awareness and overdiagnosis. The article stresses the importance of early intervention tailored to the child's needs. It does the usual, advising the creation of a sensory-friendly environment, providing opportunities to practice social skills, using alternative communication methods if needed, and focusing on neurodiversity.
Three important quotes are:
“The earlier support is provided, the greater the potential for positive outcomes.” This highlights the importance of getting parents on the Autism-Industrial Complex money train.
“Instead of trying to ‘fix’ a child, try to focus on helping them to thrive as the unique individuals they are.” This seemingly promotes acceptance of neurodiversity, yet given the overall tone of the article, comes off as “help isn’t coming, you’re on your own.”
“With sensitivity and patience, introduce them to alternative activities and support them in the process of trying new and different things.” This continues the theme of the lack of agency in autism. What if I don’t want to eat cauliflower (aka, fart flower)?
Get ready for it. DSM 5-TR is the mechanism by which the APA rolls back the prevalence rates and protects insurance company profits. Articles like this are just the beginning.
— March 2025: A Grim Update —
When I first wrote this in September 2023, I thought I was cynical. I truly believed the DSM-5-TR would be the mechanism by which the APA rolled back autism prevalence rates, quietly tightening diagnostic criteria to ration services and protect insurance profits. I thought that would be the battleground.
I never imagined how much worse things could get.
Was I naïve?
Back then, it seemed clear that mainstream publications were priming parents for a future where only Level 3 autistics would qualify for diagnosis. I critiqued a Psychology Today article that framed autism through a familiar lens—acknowledging the rise in diagnoses (hinting at overdiagnosis), stressing early intervention (keeping parents on the Autism-Industrial Complex’s money train), and peppering in just enough language about neurodiversity to soften the blow.
Even as I saw the writing on the wall, I still believed that the DSM—flawed and politically driven as it is—would be the primary gatekeeper. That the fight would be over which autistic people got recognition and access to support.
Then the Tangerine Tyrant was coronated. Then RFK Jr. was confirmed as the head of HHS.
Suddenly, the dystopia I feared looks almost optimistic in comparison.
The Eugenics Era Has Arrived
RFK Jr. has spent years positioning himself as an “advocate” for autistic children whilst simultaneously championing the worst kind of ableist, pseudoscientific conspiracy theories. His obsession with vaccines and “toxins” isn’t about securing better lives for autistic people—it’s about erasing us. He has long framed autism as an epidemic, a public health crisis, something to be prevented.
Now, the government is listening.
The shift in federal priorities is unmistakable. The new administration has no interest in supporting autistic people. Instead, it is pouring money into cures and prevention. For those of us who have spent years warning that “curing autism” is just a polite way of saying “eradicating autistic people,” this is the nightmare scenario.
It turns out, the DSM wasn’t the roadblock. It wasn’t the biggest threat. We thought the fight was over diagnosis and insurance access, but that was small thinking. The new reality is one where the government isn’t just limiting services—it is actively working toward a world where autistic people never exist in the first place.
How Quickly It Can Change
Not two years ago, I thought the worst-case scenario was a tightening of diagnostic criteria and an insurance crackdown. And make no mistake—those are still happening. But they are now footnotes in a much larger, much darker story.
This is what happens when eugenicist ideology moves from the fringes into policy. When people who see autism as a defect, a burden, or a tragedy gain the power to shape national healthcare. When the question stops being who qualifies for services and becomes who qualifies for existence.
The rollout will be swift. Already, funding is shifting. The rhetoric is shifting. And the most terrifying part? The majority of the public won’t see the problem. Because the messaging will be wrapped in the same old language of the Scientific Racists - that of helping autistic children, reducing suffering, and giving families hope. The same lies they’ve always told us—just repackaged for mass acceptance.
I thought the DSM was the biggest obstacle.
I was wrong. The real danger isn’t that the state will deny us diagnosis—it’s that it will deny our very right to be.