system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: is autism more prevalant these days or has our awareness & diagnosis increased?

If it IS more prevalant, why?
gpt
"Autism" encompasses a much larger spectrum than it used to. Decades ago, many people with high functioning forms of autism would've just been brushed off as weird or awkward. We now know a lot more about autism and can assign it accurately to more people. At the same time, it is misdiagnosed more often because it does encompass so much more now.