Autism overflows: increasing prevalence and proliferating theories

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Another strangely worded abstract:

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Rev.');> 2008 Dec;18(4):273-86. Epub 2008 Nov 18.Click here to read

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Autism overflows: increasing prevalence and proliferating theories.

Lyn Waterhouse

Global Studies Programs, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ,

08628, USA, lynwater@....

This selective review examines the lack of an explanation for the

sharply increasing prevalence of autism, and the lack of any

synthesis of the proliferating theories of autism. The most

controversial and most widely disseminated notion for increasing

prevalence is the measles-mumps-rubella/thimerosal vaccine theory.

Less controversial causes that have been proposed include changes in

autism diagnostic criteria, increasing services for autism, and

growing awareness of the disorder. Regardless of its causes, the

increasing prevalence of autism has put pressure on the field of

autism research to generate productive and predictive theories of

autism. However, the heterogeneity of brain deficits, impaired

behaviors, and genetic variants in autism have challenged

researchers and theorists, and despite 45 years of research, no

standard causal synthesis has emerged. Research going forward should

assume that autism is an aggregation of myriad independent disorders

of impaired sociality, social cognition, communication, and motor

and cognitive skills.

PMID: 19015994