Latest Breaking News
In reply to the discussion: Autism 'caused by genetics', study suggests [View all]nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)the sole cause. My grandmother thinks her osteoarthritis was caused by food allergies - which I don't dismiss out of hand, but even if true it's only one of multiple factors involved.
Could there be an environmental component to autism? Certainly. But the best evidence we have (thus far) shows that it has a stronger genetic component than anything else. You mention that rates seem to be much higher in Northern European populations - I don't know how much of that is just better diagnostics, but it may be something worth looking into. As far as immigrants from Africa noticing autism in their children, again, it probably has a lot to do with better healthcare systems - or it could be a result of said immigrants inter-marrying with Europeans. None of these things are mutually exclusive.
The evidence you've presented is flimsy at best, I'm sorry to say - and the fact that you seem so damn sure of these dubious conclusions probably accounts for a lot of the hostility in people's responses.