What I find interesting is wondering if there is perhaps a link between the vaccinations these autistic children’s parents’ received as children — there is definitely something causing the genetic problems with the rise in Autism...
But are we asking the right questions?
Is there really a rise in the number of children with Autism or are there simply more children being diagnosed with Autism that once were diagnosed with something else (retardation) or not diagnosed period.
If the increase in Autism is real finding the cause will be difficult. The correlation between vaccines and the onset of Autism is flimsy. The mercury-based preservative once widely used in childhood vaccines has not been used in years and I have not heard of any drop in the incidence of Autism.
The onset of Autism has always been in the 1 to 5 age range which co-incidentally is also the age when vaccines are administered.
Nailing down the cause of a disorder effecting the brain is never going to be easy because it is such a complex organ and is developing rapidly from a few weeks after conception through age six or seven (and keeps developing to about age 27). One theory of Autism that I read is that it is analogous to schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has an onset of around 17 to 22. This is also a time of critical brain development similar to the time when Autism occurs.
Another theory I have read noted a correlation between flue like symptoms and the onset of Autism. This suggested a possible link to a viral infection causing a change in brain development.
My point being that determining the cause(s) of Autism will be a long and difficult process unless we get lucky.