RFK Jr's autism comments place blame and shift research responsibility to parents, critics say

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5. the simplest answer is that it's genetic

it runs in families; having a parent (particularly a father) with autism is a strong predictor of having autism.

that doesn't mean environmental factors may not also play a role. a genetic inheritance may need an environmental factor before it has an affect on a person.

but most of the "cause" of autism is simple genetics.

my daughter is autistic, i am autistic, my father very likely is autistic, his father probably was as well.... we all have a few very similar traits that generally associated with autism. my daughter was formally diagnosed. i was not, but my responses to the test questions would have been virtually identical, and i know i get those traits from my father, who behaves very similarly to me and has had some of the same successes and struggles.