Kennedy Jr. insists an environmental toxin is responsible for increased autism prevalence in the U.S. "This is a preventable disease," he said April 16, dismissing an HHS agency report’s explanation for the increase.

Kennedy Jr. to meet. Singer’s brother and daughter are two of the millions living with autism in the United States, and part of a much larger community that has very publicly expressed feeling hurt and disrespected by the US Health and Human Services secretary’s description of who they are and how they live.