[Neoliberalnot]

Seriously, it is not even clear that there is an absolute increase, or whether it’s just labeling: a person who would once have been called “a bit weird” or “very awkward” is now “Autism Spectrum.””

Good point. Yes, relabeling is pointed out by the Mayo clinic.

[Tax-chick]

I think it comes down to, “We don’t really know.” There’s a lot of that in science, especially since it’s awfully hard to prove a negative.

You can’t prove that Freemasons aren’t poisoning the water supply. They could just be too crafty for us to detect them!

[Justa]

There are very clear clinical indicators for ASD. No one gets labeled with ASD without going thru multiple diagnostic testing routines. If it was genetic, changing the standards of ASD or increased screening practices you wouldn't get this: