Yes it must be the vaccines that are causing autism rates! Ignore the studies and decades of evidence that show they don't, because they definitely do!
It's not all the micro plastic pollution, or car pollution, or chemicals in our water, or hormones in our food, no it's definitely the vaccines!
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Even if there was anything real about the claim that vaccinations increased autism rates, using that as a justification to stop vaccinations would still be a crazy stance. Autism is not a deadly disease, but many of the things we vaccinate against are.
I came here to say this. We're just getting a lot better at recognizing it earlier to try to jump on getting the kiddos into therapy to limit the impact on their life as adults.
My dad was born in the 30s, and was just as autistic as me. His mother (born 1910) died when I was little, but I remember her being eccentric, and my mother called her "difficult". They both lived perfectly normal lives, they were just very different from the others around them. I'm autistic and so is my nephew; that's four generations, spanning a century.
What conspiracy theory? Coal fired power plants, gas emissions, and microplastics have demonstrably altered the planet and has affected the health of every single person alive. In fact, it's estimated that lead in gasoline might have directly and instruction killed more people than any other single source in history.
It, like ADHD, has a strong genetic component, but it's not a 1:1 correlation.
Epigenetics likely play a massive role also. Which might be the genetic correlation we're seeing. Epigenetic influences have been shown to last multiple generations from the original trigger (specifically with the effects of trauma).
In the case of autism and ADHD, the epigenetic triggers are likely environmental, such as microplastics, over usage of antibiotics, and various toxic chemicals we're exposed to daily.
My own personal theory is that the current rates of autism and ADHD might be affected (but not solely caused by) the use of lead in gasoline 50+ years ago. Lead exposure has lifelong implications and absolutely affects embryos as they're developing. But that's just a personal theory.
Edit: Holy hell! This popped up on my Google News Feed only hours after making this comment.