[daifu]

Is there really great increase in the DISORDER, or is there truly an explosion of DIAGNOSES of Autism. Social pressure, media, and parental expectations may be the underlying reason for the apparent increase.

[SoConPubbie]

Is there really great increase in the DISORDER, or is there truly an explosion of DIAGNOSES of Autism. Social pressure, media, and parental expectations may be the underlying reason for the apparent increase.

There is an increase in the DISORDER.

See Dr. Baccarelli's statement in today's news conference about studies that prove the link.

It could be both, but the Tylenol is at least partially to blame.

[billakay]

This is what the status quo people always argue. I don’t see any possibility that a population of this magnitude was simply misdiagnosed. Autistic kids are typically very obvious and many if not most have significant dysfunction of some kind.

[hinckley buzzard]

Yes. With each successive revision of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) over the last 50 years, the criteria for autism, now “spectrum disorders,” has broadened. And following each revision, the reported incidence of cases jumped.

I’m agnostic about the link to tylenol, not because it is implausible, it’s not—let the data speak for themselves—but because the issue has been tainted by politics and unethical tort shysters.