You interestingly use the word “spreading,” which the science-denying, roadkill-eating HSS Secretary would like to convince people of, for his own insane (or more likely grifting) reasons, but there is no evidence that the increase in diagnoses of autism is anything more than changes and improvements in diagnostic practices, awareness, and access to services.

First, autism isn’t some single identifiable disease like measles or rubella, which are now re-emerging because of certain geniuses who have decided that vaccines that had eradicated those diseases are now a problem. It’s a word used to attempt to capture a range of behavioral strengths, differences, and vulnerabilities exhibited by a variety of individuals. So there almost certainly is not a single cause or cure for it. Also, even if there were one cause, it’s rich that an administration that is removing almost all environmental protections for its citizens is supposedly out there trying to find the environmental “toxin” that is the cause of the “autism explosion.” You can be sure that whatever they come up with will coincidentally wind up somehow lining their or their contributors’ pockets.

Do some research on how authoritarians in the past have consistently tried to discredit science and maybe you’ll see what’s happening. They can’t have people looking at scientists as authorities when the authoritarians’ goal is to be the sole authority on everything.