Researchers at the UC Davis MIND institute studied the prevalence of autism in children born between 1996 and 2000 in California, and found that the number of diagnoses in ten key wealthy, primarily Caucasian regions was 70% higher than in less affluent areas.
The study authors do not believe these "clusters" arise from a common environmental factor, but from the residents' higher levels of education and superior access to health care. Web MD sums up the most probable cause:
"The California DDS [Department of Developmental Services] does not go out and look for kids with autism. Parents have to go to the DDS and seek services. Better educated women are more likely to know about these services -- and are more likely to have access to doctors who can diagnose their child's autism."
Epidemiologist Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a senior author in the team, said that the study did not yield the 'smoking gun' of autism, as they had hoped. It's back to square one: "We are casting a wide net, looking at everything we can--pesticides, medical conditions in the mother, medications, flame retardants, etc."
You can read more about the study in the Los Angeles Times or WebMD.
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