[bencollier49]

> Autism rates are stable, and only appear to be increasing due to better diagnosis.

Citation?

"Several large studies have suggested that autism rates have risen steadily in the last 20 years, but this new report suggests that rates may be leveling off. The ADDM Network’s estimated rates also plateaued between 2010 and 2012 (after increasing roughly 123% between 2002 and 2010), but then jumped 30% from 2012 to 2014."

The paper goes on to mention both measurement and environmental factors as potential causes.

[Aloha]

People who just a generation ago would have just been classified as weird are now given an actual diagnosis.

[klmr]

> Citation?

I’ll refer you to the discussion on Wikipedia [1], which is fairly exhaustive. The long and the short of it is that we don’t know for certain either way, and all estimates have large uncertainties attached. However, the (tentative) prevalent opinion amongst experts can be fairly summarised as “The reported increase is largely attributable to changes in diagnostic practices, referral patterns, availability of services, age at diagnosis, and public awareness”. However, it also needs to be said that “largely” here refers to the effect size: most of the increase is probably not due to actually increased incidence. But some of it probably is.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_autism#Changes...

[alexandercrohde]

>> But some of it probably is.

So basically you concede the original point then. That environmental factors may be increasing autism rates.

[klmr]

> So basically you concede the original point then.

I’m not “conceding” anything because I’m not arguing against it (I didn’t write the grandparent comment). My comment is intended to provide all the relevant information, not argue against the comment I replied to.