It seems that every day something new is implicated as a possible cause ofautism. Because there is so little solid information about exactlywhatdoescause autism, it’s easy to get caught up in every sensational theory. Could it be pesticides? Dog shampoo? Airplane contrails? All of these and much more have been suggested as possible causes for a rise in diagnoses.
All we know is that, when the diagnostic criteria expanded, so did the number of people who qualified for diagnosis. And as awareness expanded, so did the number of diagnoses.
Does that mean that more people are actually autistic now than 20 or 30 years ago? The answer is a qualified “maybe.” But that doesn’t stop people from coming up with (or even believing in) inaccurate theories about the causes of autism.
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Incorrect Theories About the Causes of Autism
We don’t know exactly why most autistic people are autistic, but we do know that at least some of the theories are flat out wrong. Here is the truth about some of the theories that we know to be incorrect.
You can’t “catch” autism
Autism is not an infectious disease; it can’t be passed from person to person through a virus, bacteria, or any other means (except heredity). Even if a child is constantly in contact with an autistic child, they cannot “catch” autism. You may notice an allistic, or non-autistic, child copying the mannerisms of an autistic peer, but no one can become autistic as a result of physical proximity.
What is more likely happening when a person begins to exhibit more autistic traits is that the child or adult thought to be allistic is an autistic person who has been chronicallymaskingand is now no longer doing so because of acceptance, community, and/orautistic burnout. Chronic masking is unsustainable and is dangerous because it can lead to suicidal ideation and stress-related physical and mental health issues.
Poor nutrition doesn’t cause autism
Research suggests that autism often co-occurs with gastrointestinal issues that can cause discomfort, and removing the cause of that discomfort is very likely to improve wellness, behavior, attentiveness, and mood. Thus, while a change in diet may (in a small percentage of cases) help a child, poor nutrition and allergens don’t cause autism.
“Bad” parenting doesn’t cause autism
Cell phones don’t cause autism
Difficult family situations don’t cause autism
One parent was told her son was autistic because “he had too many siblings.” Other people worry that a divorce or death in the family could have caused a child, teen, or adult to be autistic. This is absolutely untrue. Children cope with divorce, death, and much more, and while there may be psychological implications, such experiences cannot cause autism.
If a person does become withdrawn or unhappy, however, it is certainly possible that they are suffering from a non-autism-related mood disorder which should be diagnosed and treated. A trauma or huge change can trigger autistic burnout and associated skill regression as well as a low to no capacity to mask, which can look like “more” autistic traits.
Spanking doesn’t cause autism
Blows to the head, lack of oxygen, and other physical trauma can certainly cause brain damage. People with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) may have behaviors similar to those of autistic people or even be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. But a swift whack to the rear end, while it may be a controversial approach to child rearing, cannot cause autism in a toddler.
A Word From Verywell
The bottom line is that every autistic person is who they are, and the most important thing you can do for yourself or a loved one is to ensure access to love, support, and understanding!
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder.UC San Diego School of Medicine.Early identification of autism.Grimes DR, Bishop DVM.Distinguishing polemic from commentary in science: some guidelines illustrated with the case of Sage and Burgio (2017).Child Dev. 2018;89(1):141-147. doi:10.1111/cdev.13013Additional ReadingSandin S, Lichtenstein P, Kuja-Halkola R, Hultman C, Larsson H, Reichenberg A.The heritability of autism spectrum disorder.JAMA.2017;318(12):1182–1184. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.12141Whitehouse, Andrew.What causes autism? What we know, don’t know, and suspect. The Conversation. Web. March 3, 2016.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder.UC San Diego School of Medicine.Early identification of autism.Grimes DR, Bishop DVM.Distinguishing polemic from commentary in science: some guidelines illustrated with the case of Sage and Burgio (2017).Child Dev. 2018;89(1):141-147. doi:10.1111/cdev.13013Additional ReadingSandin S, Lichtenstein P, Kuja-Halkola R, Hultman C, Larsson H, Reichenberg A.The heritability of autism spectrum disorder.JAMA.2017;318(12):1182–1184. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.12141Whitehouse, Andrew.What causes autism? What we know, don’t know, and suspect. The Conversation. Web. March 3, 2016.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder.UC San Diego School of Medicine.Early identification of autism.Grimes DR, Bishop DVM.Distinguishing polemic from commentary in science: some guidelines illustrated with the case of Sage and Burgio (2017).Child Dev. 2018;89(1):141-147. doi:10.1111/cdev.13013
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder.
UC San Diego School of Medicine.Early identification of autism.
Grimes DR, Bishop DVM.Distinguishing polemic from commentary in science: some guidelines illustrated with the case of Sage and Burgio (2017).Child Dev. 2018;89(1):141-147. doi:10.1111/cdev.13013
Sandin S, Lichtenstein P, Kuja-Halkola R, Hultman C, Larsson H, Reichenberg A.The heritability of autism spectrum disorder.JAMA.2017;318(12):1182–1184. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.12141Whitehouse, Andrew.What causes autism? What we know, don’t know, and suspect. The Conversation. Web. March 3, 2016.
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