Conspiracy theories leading to worrying rise in autism misinformation 

In the US, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has prompted unproven claims regarding autism. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Conspiracy theories about vaccines and influencers promoting unproven ‘cures’ on social media have led to a “deeply concerning” rise in misinformation about autism, a leading charity has warned.

It comes as new research from AsIAm finds that many autistic people and families believe misinformation about autism has increased in the past year.