‘Love on the Spectrum’ ‘s James B. Jones Slams RFK Jr.’s ‘Flagrantly False’ Autism Remarks (Unique)

• James B. Jones responds to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s feedback about autism in an unique interview with PEOPLE
• The Love on the Spectrum star slams Kennedy’s generalizations about autism
• He shares what he finally would need individuals to learn about autism

For James B. Jones, one of many stars of Netflix’s hit present Love on the Spectrum, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s feedback about autism are nothing to take frivolously.

James, who made issues official together with his girlfriend, Shelley Wolfe, on the present’s season 3 finale, tells PEOPLE that after the secretary of well being and human companies made derogatory remarks about autism throughout his first press convention together with his new title, he was “not notably happy.”

“They clearly have been created from a place of maximum ignorance. Autism manifests itself in another way in each particular person. No two individuals who have it are precisely the identical,” James says, calling Kennedy’s remarks “flagrantly false.”

In his controversial remarks, which have been made in response to a brand new research by the CDC that discovered 3% of kids within the U.S. have autism, Kennedy made sweeping claims concerning the livelihood of individuals with autism.

“These are children who won’t ever pay taxes. They’re going to by no means maintain a job. They’re going to by no means play baseball. They’re going to by no means write a poem. They’re going to by no means exit on a date. A lot of them won’t ever use a bathroom unassisted,” he stated.

In response, James tells PEOPLE that “one shouldn’t apply a blanket method or make generalized presumptions about individuals who have autism.”

Whereas he admits that it took “barely longer” to develop his social expertise, and it was one thing he needed to “work tougher” and “put forth better effort in growing and honing,” he has succeeded in doing so.

“I’ve a everlasting 40-hour per week job with advantages, which I’ve held steadily since 2017 and am in no hazard of shedding. I can function a car with no points. I pay all of my very own bills,” he shares.

“Apart from the truth that I reside with my mother and father nonetheless, I imagine I am doing fairly a superb job being self-sufficient. And the truth that I don’t but have my very own home at age 37 is because of elements which can be past my management,” says James, who notes that he additionally graduated from school with a 3.85 GPA.

“I did very effectively in that. So sure, I’ve not struggled academically in any respect. I pay my payments. I pay my taxes. I drive a automotive,” he says.

“Look the place I’m now. I’m a star of a serious Netflix present. I’ve an enormous relationship with a lady whom I like very a lot, who loves me very a lot, and every thing’s going nice for me in my life proper now,” continues James.

Additional denouncing Kennedy’s feedback, James says that “it isn’t that there are extra individuals with autism, it’s that docs have turn out to be extra expert in figuring out traits of autism, and that society has turn out to be extra accepting of autism total.”

“I’d hate to see all that progress be misplaced,” he says.

Nonetheless, he acknowledges that “sadly, there are nonetheless some individuals who wouldn’t have a radical understanding of those that are completely different from themselves.”

He considers himself “very lucky” that “nearly all of individuals whom I’ve met perceive autism or no less than make an effort to grasp it.”

When requested what he finally desires individuals to learn about autism, James says, “We must be accepting of one another’s variations and perceive that no two individuals ever have the identical expertise.”

“The truth that somebody’s completely different from oneself just isn’t essentially a foul factor and doesn’t essentially make them a foul particular person,” he provides. “So we must be affected person and understanding of one another.”

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Love on the Spectrum season 3 is streaming on Netflix.