There are truly autistic children, but not in the numbers that the current gurus claim. Like every other scam, it comes down to extravagant amounts of money for clients, researchers, teachers, parents, and anyone else who can grab part of the pot. If there is a real increase in real autism I would suspect something similar to what was discovered for the increase of asthma in children .... parents over dosing Tylenol.
The latest research has shown no connect with immunizations. However, a double mutation on a male gene is a definite indicator that autism is present. We know many parents who have a child on the spectrum. We suspect that their is something in the environment causing this. We just do not know what it is. Believe me, we would love to know. We’re desparate to understand this.
As for the money. Let me explain something. There is NOT a whole lot out there for Asperger’s kids. We have fought and researched and dug and made ourselves exhausted trying to find services. And yes, we pay for everything, including very small private schools to educate our son. Its damn expensive too.
Your child gets grouped with the juvenile deliquents because the public school can’t really cope though they claim they can. IT can be a nightmare in many regards. My son could really play baseball very well, but quit Little League because of the crowds. If you don’t have a child on the spectrum, you can’t possible really understand how this permeates every aspect of your life.