Previous studies have linked advancing paternal and maternal age with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Now a new multinational study of parental age and autism risk published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry finds that the children of teen mothers, older parents, and parents with an age gap of 10 years or more […] More
The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) may increase the risk of autism among children born as a result of the fertility treatments, concludes a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers led by Peter Bearman, a professor of social sciences in the Interdisciplinary Center […] More
Adding to the overwhelming evidence that vaccines and autism are unrelated, a new study published in the child health-themed issue of the journal JAMA concludes that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is not associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) even among children at high risk for the disorder, notably children with siblings with […] More
Gestational diabetes during pregnancy increases the risk for future health problems among mothers and babies. Now a new study published in the journal JAMA finds that intrauterine exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosed by 26 weeks of gestation is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children. Women newly diagnosed with diabetes […] More
In a paper published online on Thursday, March 19, 2015, scientists report that the incidence of diagnosed autism was twice as high for assisted reproductive technology (ART) as non-ART births among the nearly 6 million children in their study born in California from 1997 through 2007. However, much of the association between ART and autism […] More
Exposure to fire retardants and phthalates during pregnancy may increase the risk of autistic-like behaviors among children, concludes a new study to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego. Autism is a developmental disorder that manifests during the first three years of life. The disorder is characterized by […] More
Adding to the growing body of evidence that autism begins before birth, researchers from the San Diego School of Medicine at the University of California have discovered that mutations that cause autism in children are connected to a pathway that regulates brain development. Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder that manifests […] More
Inducing or augmenting labor with pitocin does not increase the risk of autism among children, says a new study presented at The Pregnancy Meeting™, the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, in San Diego, California. Pitocin, a synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin widely used to start or assist the progress of labor, […] More
The causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are myriad and complex. However, because the disorder tends to run in families, researchers previously thought that the genes could be inherited. However, a new largest-ever autism genome study reveals that most siblings with ASD have different autism-linked genes. ASD is a developmental disorder that manifests during the […] More
Circumcision rates in the United States decreased by 10 percent across the 32-year period from 1979 through 2010. Now a new study adds to the growing evidence of harm of routine infant circumcision (RIC), finding link between circumcision and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among boys. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that manifests […] More
Living with pets may increase the social skills of children with autism. A recent study from a researcher the University of Missouri (MU) as published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders finds that having pets such as cats, rabbits, and other animals as well as dogs in the home may help children with […] More
The causes of autism are complex and myriad. Previous research has implicated air pollution as a contributing factor to the disorder. Now a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives adds to the evidence with the conclusion that children born to mothers living in areas with high levels of fine particulate matter during […] More
