Overview
- Autism scientists and advocates announced the Independent Autism Coordinating Committee, presenting a science-based alternative to the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee reshaped by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- The new committee will hold its first meeting on March 19 in Washington, mirroring the federal panel’s schedule to quickly respond to recommendations seen as unsupported by evidence.
- Membership includes former federal committee members and senior experts such as former NIMH directors Joshua Gordon and Tom Insel, alongside leaders tied to the Autism Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Organizers plan a strategic research agenda, guidance for non-government funders, and annual reports, with early focus on countering non-evidence-based or potentially harmful autism treatments.
- Kennedy appointed 21 newcomers to the federal panel, including some with ties to vaccine–autism claims and discredited therapies; HHS says the appointments aim to advance breakthrough, gold-standard science, while experts cite a broader shift toward independent review bodies after recent federal reshuffles.