The reason why more and more parents face ASD in their children is still a mystery. The disease is supposed to have a variety of causes and it is associated with a range of gene mutations. So far we can tell that major cases of autism are caused by autism risk genes combined with the environmental impact on the early stages of brain development. An autistic child can face environmental risks before and after the birth. The age of the parents at which the conception happened, diseases during pregnancy, and difficulties during the childbirth are the factors which can enhance the risk of autism, however, it is important to understand that they do not cause the disorder by themselves.
Only recently society was concerned about the ability of vaccines to cause ASD. After Andrew Wakefield published the study which mentioned the connection between MMR vaccine and ASD in The Lancet journal, the whole world was shocked with the given statement. The article was soon considered to be a fraud and unacknowledged scientist’s reputation was discredited, but such a loud statement could not be unsaid. Despite the fact that no connection between the vaccine and autism was found in the rigorous researches which followed the provocative Wakefield’s theory, people still consider that vaccines can provide an irreparable damage to their kid.
Observing the recent statistics of autism, we cannot avoid the advancements in diagnosing. Due to the high social awareness, a long range of criteria which diagnose children with autism have been developed. However, the awareness of autism appeared comparatively recently, and some decades ago people just did not use the name “autism” to apply to children retarded in mental development.