"perhaps we can usher in demands for better, more transparent data access and and a higher class of evidence based medicine from all this"

This is the crux of the problem. Until regulatory capture/corruption is eliminated, studies to determine what is driving the rise in autism will not be done, or as we have seen with COVID and the COVID "vaccine", studies will be designed to fail and/or support the narrative. The autism issue is complex and may result from a combination of factors that could include some vaccines and their adjuvants, as well as environmental factors. The processed food we ingest, genetically modified plants/animals, the poisons used in commercial farming (e.g. glyphosate), all need to be studied. Unfortunately, the agencies regulating/approving use of the latter are the same corrupt agencies behind the COVID debacle.