LONDON, March 25 (UPI) -- In England, 6,170 children under 16 were diagnosed with autism last year, up from 3,100 in 1997-98.
Some observers blame the increase on environmental factors such as pesticides or vaccinations. But the government and organizations including the Medical Research Council say the increase resulted from better diagnosis and the way autistic disorders are defined, the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.
"We suspect that much of the increase can be put down to the fact that people are more conscious of the condition," said the National Autistic Society.
Some scientists, including Paul Shattock of Sunderland University -- who is investigating environmental triggers of autism -- think the increase cannot be fully explained by better diagnosis or redefinition.
"I still believe there has been an increase in the actual incidence of autism," he said.
