Rainier Spots Show Higher Autism Rates

Dr. Noel S. Weiss, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, and author of an accompanying journal editorial, thinks the results of the study need to be taken with a grain of salt.

"This is a course analysis," Weiss said. "There are difficulties, because autism is not that unequivocally defined, and the criteria for diagnosis can vary from place to place and over time. The message is really to other scientists who might examine this relationship."

Weiss isn't convinced that the association between autism and precipitation is real. "It could be, but I don't think so," he said. "But it's probably worth looking into."

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For more about autism, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.