Table 2.

Categorical themes of maternal beliefs regarding autism cause(s)

Environmental	Environment
	Heavy Metals
	Food
	Chemicals
	Pollution
	Pesticides
	Miscellaneous biological agent (fungus, mold, bacteria, etc.)
	Lifestyle
	Parenting
Genetics	Genetic predisposition
	Sporadic (“Born with it”)
Vaccines/Medications	Vaccines and mercury in vaccines
	Medications
	Antibiotics
Biomedical/Maternal	Pregnancy complication
	Maternal illness / disease / stress
	In-utero substance exposure
	Advanced maternal age
Biomedical/Child	Neurological
	Autoimmune / immune-related
	Neonatal / childhood illness or injury
True “Don’t Know”