Keep promoting Autism. I worked with Autistic children for 7 yrs and we have an autistic child in my in laws family. So little is known about it and the causes of it. I wonder if years ago autistic folk were not institutionalized and locked up. 30 yrs ago when I went into the mental health field I visited an institution for severely handicapped adults and I remember being struck by the residents and their self absorption, non communication, and repetitive behaviour.