A researcher in England faked studies about immunizations causing autism. Parents started freakng out and not immunizing their kids. These young parents are not old enough to know what measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, etc. do. They don't know because they were vaccinated against it by their parents. I remember my sister and cousin being very sick with mumps and measles. I had mumps younger and somehow escaped measles. I remember going to school with kids who suffered from polio and could never walk again. I'm a retired university professor in the field of special education. Immunizations do not cause autism. The numbers have increased because of better identification. Just like many years ago ADHD became part of the federal law for special education and kids with ADHD quadrupled. Once a definition and description is made public people can suddenly identify what has been going on. My sister is ADHD and has leaning disabilities. She's 62 years old and was tutored by nuns just to get her through school. ADHD kids and kids with autism have been around for a long time. People just didn't know how to teach them. They are both caused mostly by heredity.