Research on Causation

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition. Here is just a partial list of correlates, risk factors, and possible causes that have been the subject of serious studies:

• Pesticides;
• Air pollution and proximity to freeways;
• Maternal thyroid issues;
• Autoimmune disorders;
• Induced labor;
• Preterm birth;
• Birth by cesarean section;
• Maternal and paternal obesity;
• Maternal and paternal age;
• Maternal post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Smoking during pregnancy;
• Antidepressant use during pregnancy;

 Irva Hertz‐Picciotto, Rebecca J. Schmidt, and Paula Krakowiak have an article at Autism Research titled "Understanding Environmental Contributions to Autism: Causal Concepts and the State of Science."  The lay summary:

This Keynote Lecture, delivered at the 2016 meeting of the International Society for Autism Research,discusses evidence from human epidemiologic studies of prenatal factors contributing to autism, such as pesticides,maternal nutrition and her health. There is no single cause for autism. Examples highlight the features of a high-quality epidemiology study, and what comprises a compelling case for causation. Emergent research directions holdpromise for identifying potential interventions to reduce disabilities, enhance giftedness, and improve lives of those with ASD

From the article:

The first decade of concerted efforts to identify environmental/modifiable causes of autism has produced a plethora of clues about risk and protective factors, with increasingly compelling evidence for a few: short interpregnancy intervals, maternal diabetes. The field has begun to mature, moving into its mid‐ to late childhood stage, where research is building and consolidating gains through replication of results and refinement of methods, even while still uncovering new connections. Also arising from this literature is the recognition of complexity in ASD etiology. Thus, we are poised to approach adolescence, where new developments in molecular biology, electronic connectedness and big data create possibilities and opportunities to address some of the major perplexing challenges.