One factor that I think influences the discussion about autism is that autism has a strong genetic component. In other words, on average, the rate of autism spectrum symptoms is much higher among the parents of autistic children. That would suggest that the people most interested in elucidating the causation of autism (parents of autistic children) are very likely to be afflicted with some level of autism-like symptoms themselves. These symptoms, in turn, may influence their view of the disorder and its causation. For example, parents of autistic children would be expected, on average, to have more trouble with preoccupations and more difficulty perceiving the whole of a situation vs. the parts. They may also have more difficulty factoring in the social influences that gave rise to the autism/vaccine scare (I.e. Lawyers paying Andrew Wakefield in hopes of getting big $ judgments for themselves and their clients). Which is not to say they are wrong …. But it does make you wonder.
