Autism study findings

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

First-born children with older mothers and fathers have a greater risk of developing autism than later children of young parents, according to a new study. Funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the records of 240,000 children born in 1994, identifying 1,251 as having autism. Researchers said that the study provided evidence that maternal and paternal age are associated with autism. Mothers surveyed aged 35 or over had a 30 per cent increased risk of having an autistic child, while the fathers aged over 40 had a 40 per cent higher risk then fathers aged 25 to 29.