The specific claim in the older Factum headline '1 in 31 US Children: CDC Confirms Autism Prevalence Surge as HHS Declares Running Epidemic, Pointing to Underexplored Environmental and Iatrogenic Drivers' is that the prevalence increase constitutes a true epidemic driven primarily by environmental factors and iatrogenic causes (the latter a clear dog-whistle for vaccines). This is false and contradicted by direct evidence. CDC's own ADDM Network data (most recent ~1 in 36 for 2020 births, with incremental rises continuing) explicitly attributes the trend to 'improved identification and access to services' rather than a sudden surge in incidence (cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/addm.html). A 2021 study in Autism Research tracking California data over decades found that diagnostic substitution and broadened DSM-5 criteria explain nearly all the measured increase since the 1990s (King et al., 'Diagnostic change and the increased incidence of autism'). On the iatrogenic/vaccine angle, a 2019 Danish nationwide cohort study of 657,461 children (Hviid et al., Annals of Internal Medicine) showed no increased autism risk from MMR vaccination, including in high-risk subgroups. This aligns with a 2014 meta-analysis of 1.26 million children (Taylor et al., Vaccine) finding 'no relationship between vaccination and autism.' Genetic heritability estimates remain ~80% from large twin studies (Sandin et al., JAMA 2017), with no credible evidence of a single environmental trigger matching the gradual, uneven diagnostic rise. The 'epidemic' rhetoric promoted by some HHS voices under recent leadership lacks epidemiological support and has been debunked by the American Academy of Pediatrics and National Academy of Medicine reviews. This Factum framing recycles discredited narratives that erode trust while ignoring the actionable reality: early behavioral intervention improves outcomes regardless of cause.