Autism Rise as Public‑Health Crisis

The observed, multi‑decade, administrative‑data increase in diagnosed autism represents more than diagnostic drift and should be treated as a public‑health crisis requiring coordinated surveillance, service scaling, and etiologic investigation. Policymakers must pair capacity planning (schools, developmental services) with rigorous cross‑registry trend validation and targeted research into environmental, perinatal, and genetic interactions. — Framing the rise as a bona fide public‑health emergency reshapes funding priorities, surveillance standards, and the political urgency around prevention and service delivery.