Autism is genetic folks... first it was mercury in vaccines is the cause.. and so the mercury was removed, has been gone for 10 years, yet autism rates continue to climb.
Its genetic, I pray they find therapy and treatment, but its clearly genetic.
If a couple has an autistic child, the liklihood of them having another autistic child is 1 in 5. There is a clear genetic link here folks.
Could something in the environment trigger those genetically succeptible? Possibly, but its underlying issue is genetic.
I thimk the prevelence of auto-immune disease among mothers of Autistic children plays an even bigger role.
And the rates of autism continue to climb NOT because the actual incidence has increased, but for several other reasons:
1. The diagnostic criteria have been drastically expanded. "Autism" used to mean only children who were completely nonverbal and noncommunicative and spent all day rocking or banging their heads against a wall. They were usually classified as "retarded" and institutionalized. Now "autism" has been expanded to "autism spectrum disorder" and "Asperger's" and includes kids who are socially inept and oblivious to nonverbal cues, 'loners', or just what we used to call geeky. So there are thousands of children being diagnosed as "autistic" who would never have been under the old criteria. My second child is almost certainly 'autistic' and definitely 'Asperger's' under these loose definitions, but we refused the diagnosis because it would follow him forever.
2. Federal money is allocated both through the schools and SSI for a diagnosis of autism. Pay for something, you'll get more of it -- aside from outright fraud, there is overt and covert pressure on doctors to make a diagnosis that will get the parents some financial help.
3. It's probably inherited, not only because the chances increase substantially for subsequent siblings of an autistic child to have the condition as well, but also because 'geek on geek' marriages produce more autistic children. Hence the mini-epidemic of autism in Silicon Valley. And I say this as a geek (albeit the liberal arts sort of geek) married to a geek.
Its genetic...... in your opinion.
You have a definite genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia, which is why they have the OFA and PennHip registries to certify dogs before you can breed them.
But overfeeding and lack of exercise in puppies and young dogs is the triggering factor. I know numerous dogs who Xray bad who have never been symptomatic -- they are all working dogs, very lean and muscular and in hard condition.