Autism Study Hints at Genetics

Men who father children in their 40s or older are much more likely to have an autistic child than younger dads, according to a new study, bolstering evidence that genetics contributes to the mental disorder.  The research involved about 130,000 Israeli Jews born in the 1980s.  Those fathered by older men were almost six times more likely to have autism or related disorders than those fathered by men younger than 30, and more than one-and-a-half times more likely than children by men ages 30-39.

The mothers’ age at childbirth appeared to have a little impact on autism, although the researchers said they couldn’t rule out “a possible small effect” from the oldest mothers.

Autism experts call the study intriguing but not definitive, and the author said that the results needed to be tested in a broader population to see whether similar findings would occur and other ethnic groups. 

The lead author is Abraham Reichenberg, a researcher at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.  Researchers from Columbia University in Israeli Institutions including Chaim Sheba Medical Center and Hebrew University participated in the study.  The results were published yesterday in September’s Archives of General Psychiatry.  Autism is a developmental disorder that involves an impaired ability to socialize and communicate.  Symptoms can include repetitive behaviors such as head banging, avoidance of physical or eye contact with others and communicating with gestures rather than words.  It is more common in boys than in girls and typically is diagnosed in the first few years of life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is of course interesting news.  A dietary habit throughout life for both parents also plays a role in your child’s overall and mental condition.

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