That's an oversimplification of the situation, both the autism spectrum (including the now-reclassified Aspergers), and the entire rest of the DSM. Some of those mental disorders also result in social difficulties.

I'm sure you would like more help for only "deserving", specific children like yours, but increased access means more schools that are able to handle IEPs, more teachers able to cope with special needs children, more understanding by all that yelling at a non-verbal stimming child is counterproductive, It means more attention paid by society, more research into the problem, resulting in figuring out the causes of autism.

It really is a spectrum, and limiting help and research to only individuals to non-verbal, body-rocking, non-stop stimming makes it very hard for research to progress - those individuals are very difficult to communicate with! Someone who's limits of communication is PEC cards, is not able to give any useful sort of description of how a particular medication is affecting them.

We are starting to recognize that it is, as least partially, an anxiety disorder, of which we already have a number of doctor prescribed medications, with anecdotal successful treatment for autism.

(I proffer no opinion on Autism Speaks here.)

I'm all for researching across the spectrum and more public awareness.

Conclusion: It's still pretty-well ambiguous as far as I can tell. You're right that it's not conclusively increasing.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-018-3834-0 -- Says true autism rates increased between '85 and '98, but since then only diagnosis of autism has been increasing til '04.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article...

I note that I think it's also pretty well-agreed upon that rates don't match up between countries.

I'll try to find the sources and post them on parent.