Autism News Update: the ‘Profound’ Label &, Communication Rights

David and producer/co-host David Yas recap recent autism-community developments after Autism Acceptance Month, focusing on the new Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) meeting under HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who replaced prior members and appointed fewer autistic members overall, including non-speaking advocates Elizabeth Bonker and Caden Larson. The IACC discussed and passed a recommendation to recognize the term “profound autism” for high-support-needs autistic people, despite objections from Bonker and Larson and concerns that the label could reduce expectations, opportunities, and access to communication supports, especially given apraxia and evolving abilities. They question whether the term mainly redirects federal research funding toward causation rather than services and rights. The episode also highlights the New York State Communication Rights bill fight, featuring non-speaking advocates lobbying to remove amendments, and references a Nature survey showing widespread belief in unproven health claims, connecting misinformation to current political rhetoric around autism.   Topics 01:02 Monthly Recap Setup 02:18 IACC Meeting Explained 04:25 What Is Profound Autism 09:05 Label Risks and Timing 13:29 Apraxia and Support Needs 14:59 Vote and Advocate Pushback 18:27 Services vs Research Motives 20:32 Spectrum Labels and Levels 25:14 MAHA Influence and MAPS 26:55 Why RFK Focuses Here 27:10 Holistic Fix Narrative 28:23 RFK and MAHA Branding 30:14 Services Over Labels 31:03 Communication Rights Fight 34:30 Spelling Advocacy Momentum 39:46 Misinformation Survey Shock 42:26 Cult of Alternative Facts 45:36 RFK Autism Grift 48:45 Neurodiversity and Acceptance 51:15 Wrap Up and Next Steps