As the mother of an Autistic Son, and a rebellious son, I offered this comment to the question of whether or not Autism is caused by pesticides or whether it's cause is enviromental. Here's my reply:
"Environmental means everything (inside the body and outside the body. It means that it is imperitive that we as parents, teachers, and doctors must first recognize what is so precious and delicate about life; that there are so many variables that only faith in God is the answer. With that said we know that what we put in our bodies is very important, but not just food. The environment involves clean air, clean and positive lanuage (teachings). Noise pollution whether it is bad teaching or mfg noise affects our being. The environment includes everything, the problem is getting us people to own up to the role we all play in the problem. And until we confess that we have disected our need for purity, love and unity, and concentrated so on the individual (label or symptom) that we now call people that are soft spoken, withdrawn(?) or not like our mfged meaning of normal, we call mental retarded or autistic. My son was given all these labels even before he had a chance to go to school and be taught. I have two sons one called autistic, one called rebellious. I know the cause of both because I birthed them, have lived with them. I also know that their environment has involved other people (teachers, preachers, social workers, peers, doctors, authorities, employers, and a whole bunch of man made systems that are contrary to productive living. So we are in this environment where our corrupt minds and deeds not only effect our food but our whole concept of being-- authentic beings in a relationship with our creator. I didn't start out to write all of this, but God.....
Please comment: not on Autism if you're not living a life effected by it; but what causes us to confuse "Truth and Authenticity" with mere "Perception and Symptoms"