Let’s say it out loud:
Regression is real.
It doesn’t happen to every autistic child. But it does happen. And when it does – it’s not subtle.
- Sometimes a child who was talking stops speaking.
- Sometimes a child who was connecting suddenly withdraws.
- Sometimes it happens overnight.
- Other times it unfolds like a slow unraveling.
But what’s most disturbing?
It happens, and no one wants to study it seriously.
The “Vaccine Injury” Narrative Took Over – But It’s Not the Whole Story
RFK Jr. has built an entire brand around the idea that vaccines are the culprit behind autism regression. And while it’s fair to say that some families do point to a specific moment post-vaccination when things changed – it’s not the only trigger being named by parents.
You’ll also hear:
- “It was after a bad case of strep.”
- “They were never the same after that tick bite.”
- “The ear infections kept coming – and then the lights went out.”
- “It started after a mold exposure we didn’t know about.”
These are environmental and biomedical triggers – and they’re discussed in hushed tones in certain parent groups, because most clinicians and researchers won’t touch them.
Why?
- Because there’s no villain to point to.
- No singular molecule to blame.
- No billion-dollar treatment to monetize.
So What Is PANDAS?
PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. It’s part of a larger category called PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome), which includes sudden, dramatic behavioral and neurological changes triggered by infection, inflammation, or immune dysfunction.
Symptoms can include:
- Sudden onset OCD or tics
- Emotional dysregulation
- Severe anxiety
- Motor abnormalities
- Language regression or loss
Sound familiar? It should. Because it mirrors a subset of what many would call “regressive autism.”
So Why Isn’t It Being Funded?
This is the heart of the problem.
We only fund what we can profit from – or what we can politicize.
And PANDAS/PANS is inconvenient on both fronts:
- There’s no single drug to prescribe
- No tidy biomarker to screen for
- No clean diagnosis across specialties
- And no industry or system to blame
It crosses too many silos – immunology, psychiatry, neurology, infectious disease.
So no one wants to claim it.
And the kids who suffer? They get told it’s behavioral. Or worse, that it’s their parents’ fault.
Meanwhile, Families Are Dismissed and Kids Are Medicated
Instead of getting immune panels, these children are sent to behavioral therapy.
Instead of addressing inflammation, they’re put on psychiatric meds.
Instead of receiving understanding, families are met with suspicion.
The result?
Years (or lifetimes) of suffering.
Misdiagnosis.
A massive, untreated subset of children whose brains are likely inflamed – not broken.
And still – research money flows elsewhere.
So Why Does RFK Jr. (And The Media) Stay Focused on Vaccines?
- Because it’s a clear narrative.
- A singular villain.
- A political machine.
- “Big Pharma did this.”
- “The government covered it up.”
- “Only I will tell the truth.”
That’s powerful messaging.
And in a world where nuance doesn’t trend, it wins attention.
But here’s the paradox:
By making it all about vaccines, RFK Jr. has hijacked the conversation – and made it harder for people to take other, real triggers seriously.
We lose the forest for the fire.
The Harder Truth We Need to Sit With
What if the key issue isn’t just what caused the regression – but the fact that our medical system is too rigid to even ask the right questions?
What if:
- The immune system is the missing link
- The brain is under assault from multiple environmental vectors
- We’ve created a world that overwhelms developing nervous systems – and we’re gaslighting the families who notice?
These aren’t conspiracies – these are very real possibilities. And they deserve exploration – not erasure.
So What Are We Saying?
We’re not anti-vaccine.
We’re anti-ignorance.
We’re anti-dismissal.
We’re pro-child.
We’re pro-presuming competence.
We’re pro-listening.
We’re pro-asking the hard questions – because the kids deserve answers.
If you’re a parent who saw your child change – you’re not alone.
If you’re a clinician who feels like something’s missing – you’re not crazy.
And if you’re a policymaker reading this: these kids exist.
They don’t fit the diagnostic flowchart. But they are real. And they need help.
Coming Next (Part 3):
“Apraxia, Silence, and the Rising Voices of Non-Speaking Children”
What we’ve misunderstood about communication—and what happens when the body becomes the barrier.
David Kaufer is a writer, strategist, podcast host, and full-time communication partner to his nonspeaking autistic son, Stone. He is the creator of The Lighter Side of the Spectrum and a lifelong advocate for neurodiversity, inclusion, and the power of reimagining what support really looks like. His work lives at the intersection of parenting, systems change, and deeply personal truth.
