Trenna Sutcliffe, M.D.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I can't believe it's one in 36 because I've been doing this for 25 years. I can never keep track of the numbers. Every time I go to an annual meeting, the number changes. And it's one in 36 now that we diagnosed.

I can't believe it's one in 36 because I've been doing this for 25 years. I can never keep track of the numbers. Every time I go to an annual meeting, the number changes. And it's one in 36 now that we diagnosed.

The point being that the numbers have changed drastically. And yes, people will say part of it is because the definitions change, there's more awareness, there's more resources, there's more clinicians making the diagnosis. But people in the field believe that those changes don't explain the drastic changes in the numbers and there has to be something else involved.

The point being that the numbers have changed drastically. And yes, people will say part of it is because the definitions change, there's more awareness, there's more resources, there's more clinicians making the diagnosis. But people in the field believe that those changes don't explain the drastic changes in the numbers and there has to be something else involved.

And there is a lot of research in this area looking at the impact of the environment and epigenetics and what roles those two things have in increasing the rate of autism in our population.

And there is a lot of research in this area looking at the impact of the environment and epigenetics and what roles those two things have in increasing the rate of autism in our population.

There is thoughts around pollution, maternal infection, prolonged fever during pregnancy, the health of the placenta, stress, parental age. There is a lot of environmental factors that have been implicated. But what I want to say is just to take a step back first, just kind of talk about the cause of autism, the genetics and the environmental piece, just to make it really clear.

There is thoughts around pollution, maternal infection, prolonged fever during pregnancy, the health of the placenta, stress, parental age. There is a lot of environmental factors that have been implicated. But what I want to say is just to take a step back first, just kind of talk about the cause of autism, the genetics and the environmental piece, just to make it really clear.

The word autism describes a constellation of symptoms. There are many, many causes for autism. There isn't a single cause. What causes autism is very complex, and we actually have more questions than answers. It's felt, though, that it is like a 10-hit model, meaning we don't know that the number is 10, but the idea that there's multiple... It's not a two-hit model.

The word autism describes a constellation of symptoms. There are many, many causes for autism. There isn't a single cause. What causes autism is very complex, and we actually have more questions than answers. It's felt, though, that it is like a 10-hit model, meaning we don't know that the number is 10, but the idea that there's multiple... It's not a two-hit model.

There's many factors involved, and it's almost felt like it's gene, gene, gene, environment, environment, environment, and then now it's like epigenetics, epigenetics, epigenetics. And so it's multiple hits and the order of the hits and the timing of the hits are also felt to be very important.

There's many factors involved, and it's almost felt like it's gene, gene, gene, environment, environment, environment, and then now it's like epigenetics, epigenetics, epigenetics. And so it's multiple hits and the order of the hits and the timing of the hits are also felt to be very important.

It'll be anywhere from 70% to 98%, depending again on the definitions used at the time, but it's well over 90%.

It'll be anywhere from 70% to 98%, depending again on the definitions used at the time, but it's well over 90%.

I believe so.

I believe so.

Correct. There's definite genetic component to this. But may I say, so it's not one gene?

Correct. There's definite genetic component to this. But may I say, so it's not one gene?