Dr Maureen Durkin and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health carried out a study on the age of parents when they had there first born child and the chance of the first born child having Autism. The peer reviewed study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows a suprising pattern.
The researchers found a link between increasing parental age and odds of ‘diagnosis’ of autistic spectrum disorder by age eight. First-born children to mothers aged 35 years and over who also had fathers aged 40 years and over were at the greatest risk of autism (triple the likelihood). This was compared with children who were third or more in order of birth to younger parents (mother aged 20-34 years and father younger than 40 years). In separate analyses, there were generally “modest” links between autism and other parental age groups and other birth orders, ranging from 1.4 times as likely to 2.3 times.
According to NHS, The researchers conclude that these results provide the “most compelling evidence to date that autistic spectrum disorder risk is linked to both maternal and paternal age, and decreases with birth order”. They say that the increased risk of autism with both maternal and paternal age has implications for public health planning.
I never really thought of the age of parents as a factor in the likelyhood of Autism, and I’m anxious to hear what other people in the Autistic Community have to say.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It may just be that people with autistic tendencies are not as able to make relationships earlier in life, and so when they have children, they are older.
Interesting explanation. Here is a similar story containing an explanation to a link between autism and shorter lifespan. I was talking to a doctor trying to persuade me to fund a cure for autism. She told me that a study had been done showing that autistic people had lower lifespans than NTs. I told her that there is a simple explanation for that. Statistics show that if you have a strong network of friends or have romance in your life (it can be a boyfriend/girlfriend or a spouse), then you automatically have up to quadruple the chances for a longer lifespan. Autistic people are less likely to be interested in romantic relationships and social relationships in general. Therefore, most miss out on the longer lifespan. But there are NTs like that. Based on that explanation, you could just as easily say that we should make people socialize and have romance when they may not want to. Yeah, exactly my point. And there’s also this thing where autistics/Aspies have a higher suicide rate. Upon hearing this, curebies just automatically link autism to depression and say that autism should be cured because of this statistic. But then again, NTs don’t really take the time to listen to Aspies/autistics, especially if they have been put in homes. I am pretty sure that a NT would be suicidal under those circumstances.
With autism, people just jump to conclusions without trying to come up with logical explanations… so sad for us all.
Have “scientists” always been this stupid?
I was barely through the headline when the most obvious answer struck me. The first comment from “David L” said roughly what I was thinking.
Does anyone in the medical community have a brain? Anyone at all?