>> which raises the question whether there has been an actual change in the real world or simply a change in the way words are used when collecting statistics.
It’s probably a combination of both. I wouldn’t be surprised if the stress of being the modern-day super woman has an effect on fetal development and is showing in the statistics. There’s also the bureaucratic machine that attends to the needs of autistic children which could influence the determining criteria on which the statistics are based. Regardless of the trends, for those families who struggle with the disability, it’s often very stressful and heartbreaking.
Notably absent is the aspect of diagnoses that lead to abortion.