There are 2 main reasons for the increase in Autism diagnosis from a few decades ago. 1) the broadened definition - more people are meeting this definition now than previously. 2) increased screening at wellness visits for children to look for signs of autism. publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/is-ther...
This is also why more rare diseases and conditions like Ehlers-Danlos/MCAS are being found in people. Not because of attention seeking but because of delayed diagnosis. It took 38 years to understand why my allergies didn't cooperate with medicines and my asthma was extremely difficult at times.🤷♀️🔬🧬🦓