The term is becoming unrecognisable: have the experts who believed in a single autism spectrum changed their minds?

There has been a steep rise in the number of people labelled autistic over the last 20 years. Is that down to greater understanding - or overdiagnosis?The home of 85-year-old Uta Frith does not exactly look like the latest front in the culture wars. Located in a serenely quiet corner of north-west London, it suggests a life still well lived, a set of deep interests and an idyllic kind of retirement. There are so many books that some are reachable only using a very tall ladder. The four hours I s...