>>16775584
>t. summer class of 2016, now "oldfags"
>>16773269 (OP)
No. Autism (spectrum) is an assortment of pathologies with the common factor of triggering the brains protective mechanisms of seeking the familiar and fleeing inputs it does not know how to synthesize into successful behavior.
There are maybe three factors that have lead to an increase in the number of cases:
>changes in the diagnosing mechanism
>changes in the worlds expectations on the individual
>the replacement of the traditional extended clan-style family with the modernist "nuclear family", leading to insufficient stable social relations exposure in early childhood.