The logical theory underlying this chapter is based on a well known logical construct that goes something like, “if it looks like a duck, and it walks like a duck, and it swims like a duck, and it quacks like a duck… then it is probably a duck” This is a valid logical model that is an extension of the premise underlying this whole paper – that you can identify the cause of autism based on circumstantial evidence. This model uses the accumulation of individual pieces evidence, strung together in painful detail, to make a prediction – that the object is in fact a duck. This logical model accounts for the fact that proving any complicated theory absolutely with scientific certainty is almost impossible, because of the complexities that exist in our world. The object could be a goose that is abnormally formed, or a clever artistic reproduction of a duck, or a blow up doll, or a hologram, or an alien that looks eerily like a duck. However, the most likely explanation for what the little yellow creature, quacking and waddling across the lawn, really is – is a duck.

The “if it looks like a duck” model applies to this chapter in the following way: if autistic individuals behave like they are stressed out, and their blood is riddled with chemicals associated with stress, and they suffer from immune system abnormalities like chronic inflammation and auto immune disorders associated with stress, and their sleep patterns mirror those of people who are stressed who, and they develop other psychological disorders like anxiety disorders associated with chronic stress, then maybe autism is really primarily a disorder centered around stress...

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