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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffAutism affects children of all races and nationalities, but certain factors increase a child's risk. They include:
- Your child's sex. Boys are three to four times more likely to develop autism than girls are.
- Family history. Families who have one child with autism have an increased risk of having another child with the disorder. It's also not uncommon for the parents or relatives of an autistic child to have minor problems with social or communication skills themselves or to engage in certain autistic behaviors.
- Other disorders. Children with certain medical conditions have a higher than normal risk of having autism. These conditions include fragile X syndrome, an inherited disorder that causes intellectual problems; tuberous sclerosis, a condition in which benign tumors develop in the brain; the neurological disorder Tourette syndrome; and epilepsy, which causes seizures.
- Parents' ages. Having an older father (being 40 or older) may increase a child's risk of autism. There may also be a connection between children being born to older mothers and autism, but more research is necessary.
References
- Kogan MD, et al. Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the U.S. 2007. Pediatrics. 2009;124:1395.
- Augustyn M. Clinical features of autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- Autism and genes. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/autism_genes_2005.pdf. Accessed April 8, 2010.
- Bilder D, et al. Prenatal, perinatal and neonatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2009;123:1293.
- Baker JP. Mercury, vaccines, and autism: One controversy, three histories. American Journal of Public Health. 2008;98:244.
- Grether JK, et al. Risk of autism and increasing maternal and paternal age in a large North American population. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;170:1118.
- Bridgemohan C. Screening tools for autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- Millward C, et al. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009:CD003498. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003498.html. Accessed March 24, 2010. .
- Augustyn M. Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
- Johnson CP, et al. Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2007;120:1183.
- Myers SM, et al. Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2007;120:1162.
- Greenspan SI, et al. Guidelines for early identification, screening, and clinical management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2008;121:828.
- Spreckley M, et al. Efficacy of applied behavioral intervention in preschool children with autism for improving cognitive, language, and adaptive behavior: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatrics. 2009;154:338.
- Buie T, et al. Evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in individuals with ASDs: A consensus report. 2010;125(suppl):1.
- Canitano R. Epilepsy in autism spectrum disorders. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007;16:61.
- Golnik AE, et al. Complementary alternative medicine for children with autism: A physician survey. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2009;39:996.
- Wong VCN. Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2009;39:454.
- If you're concerned — Act early. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/concerned.html. Accessed April 8, 2010.
- Rice C. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders — Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, United States, 2006. Mortality and Morbidity Weekly. 2009;58:1.
- Sinha Y, et al. Chelation therapy and autism. British Medical Journal. 2006;333:756.
- Autistic disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed May 11, 2010.
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