Well option A isn't enough to explain it because it isn't as easy to get an autism diagnosis as other conditions that are less clearly defined, like ADHD. The criteria is more specific and distinct.

B doesn't make sense because autism isn't treated with meds. Autistic people might be on medication for other reasons, like anxiety and depression, but from big pharma's perspective there is no incentive to diagnose autism.

With C you might be on to something in terms of people self diagnosing, but again because of my point with A, it's not like you can just walk into a therapists office and get an autism diagnosis. Attention seeking or not, it isn't that simple.

There actually are a lot more kids showing symptoms of autism that go far beyond social awkwardness. It's something I've noticed working in the mental health field and no one seems to be acknowledging it. In fact it seems like "they" are trying to cover it up.

There's so many possible reasons for it: our bodies are polluted with microplastics and PFAs, cellphone towers and wifi more prevalent than ever, kids faces buried deep in screens from infancy, shittier food and GMOs, the list goes on. We don't know what causes autism, so it's possible that any of these factors or a combination of them could be contributing to this. In any case, it's very real, and definitely not something that can be explained through social contagion.