"It is not clear more children are affected rather than just changes in our ability to detect,"
Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, LA Times, October 5, 2009
What is not clear is whether Dr. Tom Insel has informed the media that funding of the autism research that might "clear up" some of his confusion has been denied for the most part over the last 10 years and that he has played a significant part in ensuring that some of the possible factors or causes, such as vaccines, are not properly researched.
The man who is "not clear" over the reality of autism increases has played a key role in ensuring that any possible vaccine autism causal connection is not properly studied and has done nothing to reverse the grossly disproportionate funding of genetic autism research over environmental autism research. Environmental autism research might disclose causal factors or triggers of autism and might indicate, even to Dr. Tom Insel, that the increase is real and why it is happening.
What is not clear is why Dr. Tom Insel is director of the US National Institute of Mental Health and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. Not clear at all.