Systemizing

This is interesting — the suggestion that the increase in rates of autism might be due in part to "assortative mating," the tendency of individuals to seek out partners that are similar to them. Where once we might have chosen mates in deference to social tradition or for economic benefit, we now do so for largely different reasons, seeking partners who fit our notions of compatibility or similarity.

In simple terms, the theory suggests that "parents who are not themselves autistic, but who both possess...'systemizing' qualities — the tendency to sort things, an interest in rules or laws — have a higher risk of producing offspring that are themselves 'systemizers.'"

As any parent of an autistic child knows, there's much, much more to autism disorders than a predisposition toward "systemizing" qualities — it involves a range of different tendencies and behaviors. I've no doubt whatsoever there is a genetic component, but it seems too simplistic to assume that inheritance is the only factor, or even the predominant one.