I suppose for clarification, I must say before anything else that I do not consider it a given that "autistic" is necessarily an impairment or even
negative for many (although not all) people. Just... different. In fact, I feel that if people would stop seeing it as a given that it is always
negative, or some sort of disease that must be cured, many of the conflicts that manifest for those on the spectrum would disappear.
I do think evolution has something to do with the rise in autism, although perhaps not all of it; the changes in the criteria for the diagnosis do
have a great deal to do with the scope of the surge in those categorized as on the spectrum.
Having said that, I also feel that the changes in communication interfaces that you mentioned are interesting and may have something to do with the
"evolution", although perhaps not as directly as you may be thinking. Over time those who may have been less socially adept have been able to find
successful niches due to these technological advances and social interaction changed by them. Autistic people are often very good at direct
"digital" systems and interactions when they are not so good at more fluid, analogous systems and interactions. So, people (particularly males)
that may not have been successful or productive before are more desirable. We are frankly breeding the traits more because they are more successful,
and those with the traits contribute to and effect the specifics of the technology, making those traits even more successful as time goes on. It is a
spiral effect.
Originally posted by ValentineWiggin
Wrabbit-
Another little tidbit to get you thinking...
We evolve for the earth, then we effect the earth (environmental toxins etc), which then means that we are evolving from a combination of the earth
and what we have done to it.
At what point do we step in and say...we have changed our evolutionary track for the worst and now we have to fix it? 
I am on the autistic spectrum, so is my daughter. From what you have said you have a child who is as well...? I don't consider my capacity or that
of my child to be on an evolutionary track for the worst, I'm puzzled that you seem to be implying that. Perhaps, I misunderstand, and you are not
necessarily linking the two, and I apologize if I have.
