The autism epidemic is a myth

Good article. The entirety of the "epidemic" is explained by:

- Expanding diagnostic criteria for an illness with no mechanistic explanation

- Increasing access to mental healthcare

- Overmedicalization of traits that aren't causing actual dysfunction, driven by cultural changes in parenting

- Rampant non-reproducibility and pseudoscience in the field of psychology

- Weird online trends of self-diagnosis where mental illness provides clout

- Anti-vaccine paranoia trying to find some kind of mysterious epidemic to pin on vaccines

Of course, a war on authentic neurotoxins is warranted even if autism rates are declining. But only in a manner informed by science and sober cost/benefit analysis.