What do you think about this article?

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http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/19/c ... of-autism/

Frankly, I think the idea that there is a growing trend of autism and AS is nonsense. The reason that diagnosis numbers are going up is because more people are seeking diagnosis. What do you think of this theory?

The article seems reasonable.

A successful professional male today is more likely to marry a successful professional female. In the past he would have looked for a pretty girl from a respectable family.

So in AS heavy places there is a statistical increase in the number of times a spectrum male and a spectrum female get together. That said I wonder if wealth has been taken into account? Silicon Valley is loaded and can afford the best healthcare and well funded schools that are more likely to notice spectrum traits and get a diagnosis.

There is evidence that richer children are more likely to be diagnosed with autism: Socioeconomic Inequality in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from a U.S. Cross-Sectional Study

However, wealthier parents are more likely to ask for a diagnosis, and diagnosticians are biased towards giving wealthier children a diagnosis.

Also, wealthier parents are more likely to have children when they are older, and older fathers are more likely to have autistic children.

This research should give us a better idea (but it won't be complete for years!): The National Children's Study

So, yeah, I'm not convinced...

Apply good science to the conjecture and it will sort itself out. It seems plausible that if autistic traits (not actual autism) are more common in science/tech professionals and that there is a genetic component to autism, then there would be a higher incidence of autism among their offspring.

Your observation that more people are seeking a diagnosis is also reasonable. But assigning all the increase in autism rates to that one cause is not intellectually defensible. 5 year old children don't seek a diagnosis. School systems, parents and professionals are getting better at screening and early diagnosis. The criteria for an autism spectrum diagnosis are better understood by a wider range of professionals.

It is likely, IMHO, that the incidence of autism is increasing as well as the rate of diagnosis. The incidence is increasing because of environmental stressors interacting with genetic predispositions to autism and the rate of genetic predisposition is increasing do to factors such as those posited in this article. The rate of diagnosis is increasing because of better screening and awareness.

http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/08 ... ain-Autism

Read the reply by TobiasTheCommie. He has autimism and is a professional in the field. Baron-Cohen comes up with a new crazy theory every few months in order get publicity. Most of what we call "news" these days is just press releases trying to get page views.

True enough. I have plenty of crazy theories myself, I'm just jealous that I never get any attention.

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I will read it later, I am only posting this so I can find it on a future date