My opinion is that the uptick in Autism is caused by VCRs and DVDs.
Stick a kid in front of a tv and never talk to him, then see what happens.
That and “Autism Spectrum” gets more money for schools. Many “High energy” kids are now diagnosed in the “Autism spectrum”. In fact, we camped with friends who told us that their 11 year old was Autistic, when he had never been diagnosed at all.
Actually, the “child neglect” was the original “theory” when Autism was first described in the late 1930’s...they blamed “cold mothers’.
Since then,, however, they lean toward brain damage in the speech and recognition area of the brain.
But if you mean “ADD” or hyperactive kids, I agree: the severe cases often have “soft signs” of neurological damage but a lot of the are just active boys who need recess and time out...luckily my nephew’s school allowed him to do this, and my grandson was home schooled as an alternative.