(NaturalNews) Today, 1 in 68 children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the U.S., a rate that's increased 30 percent since 2012, according to a March 2014 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Boys are five times more likely than girls to have ASD, and white children are more prone to the condition than black or Hispanic children.Speaking at a conference sponsored by the holistic-focused Groton Wellness organization, research scientist Dr. Stephanie Seneff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presented data showing a consistent correlation between glyphosate (a key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide), and the rise in autism.Dr. Seneff also made an alarming prediction regarding the recent spike in ASD: "At today's rate, by 2025, one in two children will be autistic."According to a fellow panelist, "All of the 70 or so people in attendance were squirming, likely because they now had serious misgivings about serving their kids, or themselves, anything with corn or soy, which are nearly all genetically modified and thus tainted with Roundup and its glyphosate."It's unsurprising that Dr. Seneff struck a cord with other professionals at the special panel on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as she's most certainly an expert on the matter. She's published over 170 scholarly peer-reviewed articles and is an expert in biology and technology. She's also listed as the first author on 7 out of 10 papers published in various medical and health journals on modern diseases as well as drug side effects, nutritional deficiencies and the impacts of environmental toxins on our health, according to reports.During the special panel discussion, Dr. Seneff spoke about the alignment between the side effects of glyphosate toxicity and autism , noting that they closely "mimic" one another. The illustrations she presented show that, since Monsanto's Roundup became a flagship weedkiller in 1990, the number of kids with ASD has soared from 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 68.Seneff's research shows that children with autism have biomarkers indicative of excessive glyphosate, including zinc and iron deficiencies, low serum sulfate, seizures and mitochondrial disorder, according to the Alliance for Natural Health.Monsanto denies all evidence pointing to such a connection, arguing that Roundup is harmless because humans don't have a shikimate pathway, which the chemical inhibits. However, Seneff notes that our gut bacteria do in fact have this pathway, and these bacteria are crucial for supplying the body with amino acids.Seneff also argues that most studies on the dangers of Roundup are too short to truly identify the effects of Roundup accumulation in the body over time.According to Seneff, there are two key problems with autism that are completely unrelated to the brain but are connected to glyphosate exposure:1. Gut dysbiosis (an upset in the natural balance of microorganisms in the gut)2. Disrupted sulfur metabolism (sulfur and sulfate deficiency)While certain microbes break down glyphosate, they leave behind ammonia, and, interestingly, children with ASD tend to have higher ammonia levels, explains Seneff in an interview with Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology.Seneff says Roundup has the following side effects: It kills beneficial gut bacteria, allowing pathogens to grow; interferes with the synthesis of amino acids and methionine, which leads to shortages in critical neurotransmitters and folate; chelates (removes) important minerals like iron, cobalt and manganese, and much more.