Autism, Older Parents Link Detailed

(CBS/ AP)  A woman's chance of having a child with autism increase substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older dads than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than 5 million births found.

"Although fathers' age can contribute risk, the risk is overwhelmed by maternal age," said University of California at Davis researcher Janie Shelton, the study's lead author.

Mothers older than 40 were about 50 percent more likely to have a child with autism than those in their 20s; the risk for fathers older than 40 was 36 percent higher than for men in their 20s.

Even at that, the study suggests the risk of a woman over 40 having an autistic child was still less than 4 in 1,000, one expert noted.

The new research suggests the father's age appears to make the most difference with young mothers. Among children whose mothers were younger than 25, autism was twice as common when fathers were older than 40 than when dads were in their 20s.

The findings contrast with recent research that suggested the father's age played a bigger role than the mother's. Researchers and other autism experts said the new study is more convincing, partly because it's larger. Older mothers are known to face increased risks for having children with genetic disorders, and genes are thought to play a role in autism.

The study was released Monday in the February issue of the journal Autism Research. This study is getting attention because it comes just a week after a prestigious medical journal, Lancet, retracted an article linking autism to vaccines, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. Scientists believe the real cause lies in a combination of factors including age, environment and genetics.

Maureen Durkin, a University of Wisconsin researcher who also has studied the influence of parents' age on autism, said it's important to note that the increased risks are small and that most babies born to older mothers do not develop autism.

Durkin said the overall low risk for autism "may be the most important take-home message," especially for prospective parents

The study was based on records of all 5.6 million births in California between Jan. 1, 1990 and Dec. 31, 1999, and on cases of autism diagnosed before age 6. That number totaled more than 13,000; the study involved 12,159 autistic children for whom information on both parents' ages was also available.

The researchers took into account factors that might affect autism diagnosis, including parents' education and race.

Catherine Lord, director of the University of Michigan's Autism and Communication Disorders Center, said the study is stronger than previous research focusing on paternal age, and "gives us a fuller picture of what is going on."

Autism is a developmental disorder that involves mild to severe problems with behavior, communication and socializing.

Recent data suggest about 1 in 100 U.S. children are autistic, a rate that appears to have increased substantially in recent decades. Many experts believe that rise reflects better awareness and a broadening of the definition of autism rather than a true increase in affected children.

Births to older mothers also have risen in recent years, but that likely only accounts for a small part of the increase in cases, said study co-author and UC-Davis researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto.

Dr. Edwin Cook, an autism researcher with University of Illinois at Chicago, offered a novel theory for why autism is more common among children with older parents: Autism is known to run in families and it may be that adults with mild or undiagnosed autism have children at later ages, Cook said.

The study doesn't include information on autism in adults.

[Mint91]

This article does not fully explain the theory, everyone is different but something everyone's body does is copy and replace old DNA with new one and you pass your genetic material to your children. DNA contains so many base pairs that once in a while there will be errors in the codes. When there is an error in your base pairs, this can cause for missing or deleterious proteins. When this happens you can have cancer where the cells can not stop dividing or disease that causes missing essential proteins. What causes our DNA to have such copying errors and mutations are UV radiations/ any strong radiation, harmful chemicals and age. Copying DNA is similar to the game of telephone where one person whisper a sentence to another person and another person, someone is bound to screw up or try saying a word a hundred times, it will sound different after a while. Someone can be 50 and have a child that is not autistic, so this means the mother and father must not have any copying errors. If someone is 20, and they have an autistic child then this means their DNA had a copying errors. I don't think this article is targeting older mother, heck i think it's great for women to have a career and then a family later, i think the article is saying that if you are older your DNA has a higher chance of being mutated and passed on to your child. So it really depends on your body and age,environment and your genetic make-up is just a factor that may increase chances of having an autistic child but not a guarantee.
The vaccine controversy is a whole new debate and i would love to write more but i have to do my homework haha, all i have to say is that human beings no matter how young have strong bodies that are able to take on alot of harm and it will take quite a lot so call vaccine to change the brain.

[gig76]

Christie Brinkley also had 3 healthy babies who are healthy children, and she is an older mom. I think someone doesn't like older women having children, someone has issues with older women. Elizabeth Edwards had children as an older mom, and her children are fine. Ms. Sanford had 4 children and she is an older mom, all 4 are healthy boys. So, someone has ill feelings towards older moms who have had healthy babies and healthy children. Get over themselves.

[gig76]

Taking prenatal vitamins consistently is vital. Iron is a very important mineral that assists in heart health in growing fetuses. I believe many women cut corners, or just don't take care of their potential "eggs". Prescribed drugs, illicit drugs, smoking, and alcohol all deplete the body of essential vitamins and minerals, therefore, no wonder there are so many autistic and Down's syndrome babies. If more women would take care of themselves and their spouses would also, more babies would be healthy.

[gig76]

I completely disagree with this article. I am a older mom, and both of my children were 100% free of any birth defects whatsoever. I was 36 years old with the first and 42 with the second, and both came back with aminocentisis as 100% free. One reason is that I didn't and still don't use illicit drugs, don't eat fish filled fish that contain mercury, don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, and eat well. I was happy during both pregnancies, and exercised until required bedrest. Finally, I took folic acid in vitamins for over 40 years, keeping my body healthy. I think many women are very unhealthy and have poor health habits that make them unsuitable in having healthy babies and children. This report needs to include more data than it appears it didn't include.

[kevinTruth]

@ gig76 that is great you have lived so perfectly.. Well, so had we & have lived as you had... And, we had a child with Autism during our late 20's. Something else is a miss, other than living a non-healthy lifestyle. Or, age.. It is complicated as to why such an increase to ASD. It is most likely not just one thing or just one lifestyle that prevents ASD.

[ellensmithee]

There is nothing the pharmaceutical companies want you to believe more than that vaccinations don't cause autism.

[patrons99]

The _prestigious medical journal, Lancet_, which retracted an article linking autism to vaccines, may not deserve its prestige. How much of Lancet_s prestige is based upon ghostwritten articles ostensibly written by so_called _experts_ who were really nothing more than shills for Big Pharma? There is far more to the Wakefield story and the vaccine autism linkage than the mainstream media has been willing to disclose. Why?

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/secret-british-mmr-vaccine-files-forced-open-by-legal-action/#US_Developments

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/02/a-statement-from-jenny-mccarthy-jim-carrey-andrew-wakefield-scientific-censorship-and-fourteen-monke.html

http://fourteenstudies.org/pdf/primates_hep_b.pdf

[skeezix06]

What a load of baloney; both the study and the reply.

First, I was 25 and 27 when my autistic children were born. Apparently their normal younger sibling should be autistic as well. God forbid we look at environmental causes when we can always fall back on debunked theories. How long before someone pulls out the "refrigerator mother" or drugs?

[skeezix06]

What a load of baloney; both the study and the reply.

First, I was 25 and 27 when my autistic children were born. Apparently their normal younger sibling should be autistic as well. God forbid we look at environmental causes when we can always fall back on debunked theories. How long before someone pulls out the "refrigerator mother" or drugs?

Secondly. In order to be diagnosed as autistic a child has to undergo several tests administered by experts. They don't just pick out a shy child who likes to organize and slap a label on him or her. I can only guess who's pushing "there's nothing wrong with them" memo.

[skeezix06]

Sorry. It kept saying it didn't take. If there is a moderator or webmaster, please feel free to delete the extras.

[skeezix06]

What a load of baloney; both the study and the reply.

First, I was 25 and 27 when my autistic children were born. Apparently their normal younger sibling should be autistic as well. God forbid we look at environmental causes when we can always fall back on debunked theories. How long before someone pulls out the "refrigerator mother" or drugs?

Secondly. In order to be diagnosed as autistic a child has to undergo several tests administered by experts. They don't just pick out a shy child who likes to organize and slap a label on him or her. I can only guess who's pushing "there's nothing wrong with them" memo.

[SusanStoHelit]

Thank goodness this message is finally getting out:

"Recent data suggest about 1 in 100 U.S. children are autistic, a rate that appears to have increased substantially in recent decades. Many experts believe that rise reflects better awareness and a broadening of the definition of autism rather than a true increase in affected children. "

- the definition is broad - a shy child who likes to organize can be considered 'autistic' (ASD, autism spectrum disorders - so broad as to be meaningless). And you can see the drop in children labelled retarded or having behavioral problems that almost precisely reflects the increase in children labelled autistic - all this is is a new label for something that has existed forever.

Older parents likely accounts for a small increase - we have children later these days.

[kevinTruth]

There is a UC Davis study that debunks some of what you are saying. I agree partly with what you are saying. But, truly an increase is present & the study accounts for "artifacts" statistically. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19273