Audio long read: Autism is on the rise - what's really behind the increase?

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr held a press conference about rising diagnoses of autism, saying he would soon announce a study to identify the responsible agent and asserting that environmental factors are the main cause of autism, a claim that drew attention amid broader debate over drivers of the increase and calls for robust, transparent research to substantiate causal links between environmental exposures and developmental outcomes."

"Decades of research indicate that genetic factors account for a larger share of autism risk than most environmental hypotheses and that the apparent rise in prevalence is predominantly explained by increased recognition, broader diagnostic criteria and improved access to services rather than a true rise in underlying traits; many researchers expressed dismay when new funding initiatives and public statements overlooked these well-documented contributors to the observed increase."

"The US National Institutes of Health announced US$50 million to fund studies on the causes of autism, a commitment intended to accelerate etiological research, but many researchers were dismayed that such developments appeared to sideline decades of epidemiological and clinical work documenting diagnostic changes, and that new initiatives risked repeating misunderstandings about prevalence drivers unless they explicitly incorporate established knowledge about diagnostic practices and genetic contributions."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr held a press conference announcing plans for a study to identify an alleged environmental agent driving rising autism diagnoses and asserting that environmental factors are the primary cause. Multiple research studies show that genetic factors account for a larger share of autism risk than most environmental hypotheses. The increase in recorded prevalence is predominantly explained by expanded awareness, broader diagnostic criteria and improved access to services rather than a genuine surge in core autism traits. The US National Institutes of Health allocated US$50 million to studies on autism causes, and many researchers expressed concern that new initiatives risk overlooking decades of epidemiological and diagnostic research.

Read at Nature