Have you ever noticed how many more cases of Autism there are in the world today? In 2023, the World Health Organization predicts 1 in 100 people will be diagnosed with Autism (and USA Today predicts even more...) But if you go back a few decades, there are dramatically fewer cases reported. So what is causing the increase? Are we just more aware of the symptoms, or have our brains begun to develop differently? In this month's episode, Laine walks us through findings from Molden, Rubenstein, Hyman, Baron-Cohen, and many others to help us better understand the unique functions of the autistic brain, and how what we've learned has changed how we view or even diagnose autism. We'll look at things like: Why there are more people with autism today than 30 years ago Why autism does NOT mean a lack of empathy (even though their behaviors make it seem so) And what preemptive actions we can take to better support the development and lives of those with autism **Also enjoy a special "behind the scenes" tag at the end of this episode! REFERENCES Steven O. Moldin, John L. R. Rubenstein, and Steven E. Hyman - "Can Autism Speak to Neuroscience?" S. Baron-Cohen - "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Autism" Arianna Manzini, Emily J.H. Jones, Tony Charman, Mayada Elsabbagh, Mark H. Johnson, and Ilina Singh - "Ethical dimensions of translational developmental neuroscience research in autism" Born For Love by Bruce Perry and Maria Szalavitz P.S. So sorry for the delayed publishing! One of those months where the last Wednesday showed up out of nowhere... can't believe it's already almost May! Much Love, Cherys