/sci/ - Science & Math

>>8538229
Like gluten allergies and ADHD, increased diagnoses, increased awareness, leading to overdiagnosis. The number of autistics has probably been roughly constant throughout history, it maybe *slightly* higher due to folks have children later in life, but not nearly as much as the data suggests, it's simply that, in the past, most were not diagnosed. Pediatrics were less institutionalized, so simple colloquial explanations sufficed ("shy", "hyperactive", or what not).

>>8538297
Autism is an interface problem, not an intelligence problem. You can be retarded without being autistic, and visa versa. In an IQ test, autistics will often perform better than average in multiple areas, (provided they aren't so severely autistic that you can't get them to take it).

>>8538758
There's plenty of statistical evidence for giving birth late in life increasing the odds of various genetic conditions, including sickle cell and down syndrome, though it actually reduces the odds for others, such as hemophilia and ectrodactyly.