S5E36 | Understanding Autism & Its History

Most Americans hardly knew about autism in the 1980s and '90s. Then, as if suddenly, autism became big news in the 2000s. And the rate of autism has increased since, including diagnosis among adults. But how did this happen?

🚩In this interview:

►What is autism? A disorder? A disease? A psychiatric medical condition?

►What does autism spectrum mean?

►In the 1980s, what were medical experts taught about the rate of autism?

►Is there a link between autism and vaccines?

►Do genetics cause and/or contribute to autism?

►Does autism have infection causes and/or contributors?

►When was autism first discovered?

►Is autism the rich kids' disease?

►Was autism considered the rich kids' disease in Europe?

►Do older parents have a higher likelihood of having autistic children?

►What explains the dramatic increase in rate of autism since 2000?

►Is autism a Western medical issue?

►What happened at the Seatle May 2025 International Society for Autism Research conference?

►Latest studies in autism, including the April 2025 published CDC report

🚩About My 180th Guest Scholar:

Dr. Maureen Durkin is the Department Chair of Population Health Sciences and Professor of Population Health Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. She is a Waisman Center Investigator, Principal Investigator on the Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities System, and Principal Investigator of two studies that we discuss in this interview.

She is a contributor to studies conducted by the CDC, including a study that was published in April 2025, reporting that in 2022 1 in 31 children age eight were autistic.

🚩Related Articles:

• "Experts Doubt Kennedy’s Timetable for Finding the Cause of Autism", New York Times, April 11, 2025.
• "Kennedy Turns to a Discredited Vaccine Skeptic for Autism Study", Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2025
• "Vaccine Opponent Hired by RFK Jr. Scours Official Records for Link to Autism", Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2025.
• "Aluminum-Adsorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood", Annals of Internal Medicine, July 15, 2025.

🚩Adel Aali

host & producer

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