A lot is being said about autism being caused by environmental factors, how do you see the environment causing developmental disorders?
A13. One characteristic that distinguishes us from other groups is the way in which we define environment. We are concerned with the intrauterine environment, the environment within which the fetus develops and which can be affected by not only what the mother is exposed to in her daily life, like pesticides and infections, but also fluctuations in her own hormone and neurotransmitter levels. We do not see the intrauterine environment as a single event or single disorder factor. The concept of the intrauterine environment takes on a myriad of complexity and raises what we believe to be some proximate questions about how these disorders have evolved over time and generations, combining many factors.
