[Solson]

But what is the main differentiator? Is it a gene issue or what?

[hobbes1]

They say genetic, the one thing all the books say, is that it is common to find a relative who, while not having it, has what they call a ghosting of the same symptoms....

[valkyrieanne]

Yes, it's genetic, and there's no one "type" of Asperger's person, which is why it's called a "spectrum disorder" - it manifests all along a "spectrum."

There's a tendency in conservative-land to assume that every mental illness, every learning disability, and every neurological variation is somehow made up by the evil school system or by liberals.

This is a good article about Aspergers and autism (especially the genetic connection.) One reason it may be increasing so much is because many "non-neurotypical" people end up working in computer engineering - they marry each other, and then have more Asperger's kids. Oliver Sacks writes about a whole Asperger's family of *very* bright people - but definitely not 'typical.'