Discuss the potential causes for the recent increase in rates of ASD

What will be an ideal response?

Many causes for the apparent dramatic increase in ASD have been proposed—vaccines, mercury, diet, acetaminophen, caffeine, antibiotics, allergies, environmental pollutants, and electromagnetic radiation—but to date, none has been scientifically substantiated. It seems likely that most, if not all, of the rise in prevalence is caused by a greater awareness among parents and professionals; a broadening of the concept and its definition over the years; greater recognition and diagnosis of milder forms of ASD; changes in diagnostic criteria and categories; diagnostic substitution (i.e., the number of children receiving special education under other diagnostic categories, primarily ID, speech impairment, and learning disabilities, has decreased as those diagnosed with ASD have increased); and better case-finding methods