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What Causes Autism Spectrum Disorder?

While in the past autism was believed to be caused by cold parenting (Bettelheim, 1967), these theories have now been rejected in favor of a genetic cause as supported by evidence from several twin and family studies (Thapar, A., & Rutter, M., 2021). 

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The video on the right features Dr.Wendy Chung, molecular geneticist and pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital describing what is currently known about the causes of autism.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 36 children are known to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This represents a growth of close to 300% over the past two decades (University of Kansas, 2024). 

The rapid rise in autism diagnoses over the past two decades is entirely attributable to four factors (University of Kansas, 2024):

  • the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA, 2004)

  • changes in the diagnostic criteria for autism in the American Psychological Association (APA)'s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

  • increased awareness regarding autism

  • improved diagnostic instruments 

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There has been some speculation in the past regarding a link between vaccines (the MMR vaccine in particular) and autism, but these claims have since been proven false by several studies.

In the above video science writer Steve Silberman describes the factors contributing to the rapid rise in autism awareness and prevalnce. 

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