Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, struck an alarmist tone about new findings that one in 31 eight-year-olds in the U.S. have an autism diagnosis at a press conference today.

As much as the current administration would like folks to believe there is something larger at play, the rise in autism diagnoses can be easily explained.

Kennedy Jr. told reporters Wednesday morning that the rise in recorded autism rates is partially driven by environmental factors, not genetics. The appearance follows his recent pledge to identify the root cause of the developmental disability by September.