Autism begins in pregnancy, according to study: Cortical layers disrupted during brain development in autism
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140326181909.htm
There’s nothing yet on what might cause this disrupted development during pregnancy. Environmental pollutants? Insufficient protein?
I dunno. But we do seem to have an increase in children with autism that’s not just related to increased diagnoses. We should insist on further studies that attempt to discover causation.
Marlene Dotterer 
I wonder if we started noticing those on the higher-functioning end of the autism scale because there isn’t space in our economy? When the only jobs available have specialized skill sets, those who can’t adapt will fall by the wayside. When we had a more diverse economy, more people could find a niche.