--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What causes autism? As far as we know in…" description: "\"What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more than 1 million America..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/thomas-r-insel-25105_accounts_what-causes-autism-as-far-as-we-know-in_2152200.jpg" --- # What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no… ![“What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more than 1 million Americans with ASDs.” quote by Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/thomas-r-insel-25105_accounts_what-causes-autism-as-far-as-we-know-in_2152200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/thomas-r-insel-25105_accounts_what-causes-autism-as-far-as-we-know-in_2152200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/736/thomas-r-insel-25105_accounts_what-causes-autism-as-far-as-we-know-in_2152200.jpg) > “What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more than 1 million Americans with ASDs.” [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Autism’s causes are complex, involving many genes and environmental factors, not a single source. **In simple terms:** Autism has many causes, not one. Key Takeaway Accept complexity in autism research. Themes science autism complexity Mood concerned analytical Type informative thought‑provoking When to use this quote - research funding - public policy - education programs Key Concepts genetics environment neurodevelopment Questions to Reflect On - How can we support diverse research? - What policies best address this complexity? A Different Perspective Simplistic explanations can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Americans Asds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-asds-4529818/) [As far as](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/as-far-as/) [Autism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism/) [Autism Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism-far-4529819/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes Autism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-autism-422627/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Factor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factor/) [Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far/) [Gene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gene/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Single Gene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-gene-1747865/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) ## Related quotes > [Heritability pertains to the entirety of the genome, not to a single gene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/heritability-pertains-to-the-entirety-of-the-genome-not-to-a-single/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [We have learned that a majority of parents whose children have late-onset or acquired autism believe it is vaccine-related. They deserve answers. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-burton/we-have-learned-that-a-majority-of-parents-whose-children-have-late/) [Dan Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-burton/) > [There are still so many unanswered questions about what causes autism and other developmental disorders on the spectrum. So it is vital that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-alvarez/there-are-still-so-many-unanswered-questions-about-what-causes-autism/) [Manny Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-alvarez/) > [The position of Autism Speaks has been for quite awhile that we need to find out what's happening. We know there's a genetic component,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-emken/the-position-of-autism-speaks-has-been-for-quite-awhile-that-we-need/) [Elizabeth Emken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-emken/) > [“In addition to single-gene genetic disorders, there are just five causes of all disease: poor diet, chronic stress, microbes, toxins, and allergens, all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hyman/in-addition-to-single-gene-genetic-disorders-there-are-just-five/) [Mark Hyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hyman/) > [“Sex, one of the most complex of human traits, is unlikely to be encoded by multiple genes. Rather, a single gene, buried rather precariously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/sex-one-of-the-most-complex-of-human-traits-is-unlikely-to-be-encoded/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [“The candidate gene approaches show that the effect of a single gene on a behavior is typically tiny. In other words, having the “warrior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/the-candidate-gene-approaches-show-that-the-effect-of-a-single-gene/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The hottest trash-disco star in the world: Ke$ha! 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When we read about the latest discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/though-social-eugenics-was-discredited-long-ago-we-still-often-think/) [Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/) > [“I saw on the pad not an operator's number from my home town, but one which seemed to interrupt the beating of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/i-saw-on-the-pad-not-an-operator-s-number-from-my-home-town-but-one/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [I have the Cuban gene of speaking very loudly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/i-have-the-cuban-gene-of-speaking-very-loudly/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [When you're still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/when-you-re-still-and-some-actors-are-really-brilliant-at-that-you/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > [Exchange of breeding individuals between two populations tends to homogenize their gene pools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-grant/exchange-of-breeding-individuals-between-two-populations-tends-to/) [Peter R. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-grant/) > [“Why talk about something you can't do anything about?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/why-talk-about-something-you-can-t-do-anything-about/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) ## More by Thomas R. Insel > [Nearly every business collects metrics on inventory, sales, and workplace process. Health care has been slow to measure these kinds of outcomes. Increasingly, general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/nearly-every-business-collects-metrics-on-inventory-sales-and/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [I trained in psychiatry in the 1970s, and much of our training was about what was then psychoanalytic theory, with a little bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/i-trained-in-psychiatry-in-the-1970s-and-much-of-our-training-was/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Most of our brain cells are glial cells, once thought to be mere support cells, but now understood as having a critical role in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/most-of-our-brain-cells-are-glial-cells-once-thought-to-be-mere/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Reports that online cognitive behavioral treatment can be as effective as in-person psychotherapy suggest that technology will expand access, extend the impact of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/reports-that-online-cognitive-behavioral-treatment-can-be-as/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [We have to remain humble about our understanding of the brain, because even our most powerful tools remain pretty blunt instruments for decoding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/we-have-to-remain-humble-about-our-understanding-of-the-brain-because/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [What do we know about autism in 2013? Autism symptoms generally emerge before age three and usually much earlier, often as language delays or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/what-do-we-know-about-autism-in-2013-autism-symptoms-generally-emerge/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [After a century of studying schizophrenia, the cause of the disorder remains unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/after-a-century-of-studying-schizophrenia-the-cause-of-the-disorder/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [A National Database on Autism Research is fostering sharing of data and collaborations. Scientists are also making great strides at the interface of biology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/a-national-database-on-autism-research-is-fostering-sharing-of-data/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [For bipolar in adults, I think there's pretty good agreement about what this looks like. For bipolar in children, there is some considerable debate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/for-bipolar-in-adults-i-think-there-s-pretty-good-agreement-about/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [In the 1830s, Dorothea Dix revolutionized the care of people with mental illness by taking them out of jails and caring for them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/in-the-1830s-dorothea-dix-revolutionized-the-care-of-people-with/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [My philosophy is really based on humility. I don't think we know enough to fix either diagnostics or therapeutics. The future of psychiatry is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/my-philosophy-is-really-based-on-humility-i-don-t-think-we-know/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/unlike-the-heart-or-kidney-which-have-a-small-defined-set-of-cell/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [Sometimes, patients with serious mental illness, just as with other serious medical illnesses, require hospitalization. In the absence of available public or private hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/sometimes-patients-with-serious-mental-illness-just-as-with-other/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [From wearable sensors to video game treatments, everyone seems to be looking to technology as the next wave of innovation for mental health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/from-wearable-sensors-to-video-game-treatments-everyone-seems-to-be/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) > [When we talk about the brain, it is anything but unidimensional or simplistic or reductionistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-r-insel/when-we-talk-about-the-brain-it-is-anything-but-unidimensional-or/) [Thomas R. Insel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) [Explore all 23 Thomas R. Insel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-r-insel/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. 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