Hellobee Boards

Very interesting article! One thing I have often wondered about (but haven't researched so maybe there is more of an answer out there than I expect) is whether the rates of autism are actually increasing like they say, or if more and more kids are just being diagnosed. Especially now that we include in the stats kids who are high functioning but "on the spectrum." I wonder if those same kids 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 30 years ago when I was born would have just been called awkward or difficult or a little odd, rather than classifying them with a disorder. (And obviously if the rates are not changing as rapidly as people claim they are, then that would change the way we'd need to look for causes).

I know several people in my own life who could for sure be on the spectrum if it were extended out just a tad bit more. That being said, my husband used to be an autism specialist teacher at the high school level and all of his autistic students were very clearly more severe and beyond what could ever be called simply "awkward" "difficult" or "a little odd." Interestingly enough, though, more often than not at least one parent of each of his students were definitely "off" and on some spectrum of their own kind which causes me to believe there may be a genetic link attributed to autism. Of course, I know ZERO on this subject and am just talking based upon my personal observation.

@loveisstrange: I was starting to think I was the only one who doesn't really worry about this...(not to say people are wrong for worrying, I just don't focus on it much.)

Great article, on the one hand it alleviates panic around the issue. On the other hand, wow lots of risk factors- advanced parental age, prenatal stress, augmented/early labor, hurricanes, children closely spaced, ack ack!