Is Social Environment an Autism Risk Factor?

As the rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have risen dramatically in the United States over the last 20 years or so, people inside and outside of the healthcare community are searching for reasons why this might be.

To date, there has been no single cause of autism identified. Unfortunately, this may always be the case, as many studies have found that there are multiple risk factors at play as to whether children will have autism or not.

What we do know is that autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that children are born with. While symptoms will develop and become more noticeable over time, the disorder itself is not something that’s “contracted” later in life.

Studies have found that there are actually multiple causes of ASD, and many of these conclude that it’s a combination of genetic influences and environmental influences, which can also include social determinants.

Below, we’ll look at the role that environmental influences play as an autism risk factor.

Learn more about who autism affects

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How Does Environment Play a Role in Autism?

First, it’s important to understand that risk factor does not mean cause. In other words, everything we discuss here are potential things that could increase a child’s risk of having autism, but they aren’t direct causes of it.

Next, it’s also important to understand what role that all of these risk factors play in autism.

The role they play is in regard to how the brain develops in the early stages of a child’s life — when they are still in the womb. In terms of genes, for instance, some autism risk genes can either increase or decrease the expression of other gene networks.

Some of these networks can affect how the brain’s neurons ultimately communicate with each other. Some others can affect how an entire brain region communicates with another region.

If these things are thrown off in any way, it will significantly affect how that child in multiple ways — including how they process information, how they learn and how they behave.

What are Some of the Specific Environmental Risk Factors for Autism?

When we talk about environmental risk factors for autism, we aren’t just discussing nature and the world around us. While that is a part of it, this topic also takes into consideration social determinants as well as details about family, pregnancy and delivery.

For instance, one of the biggest environmental risk factors that is emerging in recent studies is the age of a child’s parents. Studies have shown that the more advanced age the parents are, the higher the risk that their children will have ASD.

There are some conflicting results about what role the mother’s age and the father’s age have on the risk level specifically, but there’s no denying that it does play a role.

Details about the mother’s pregnancy are also environmental risk factors for autism. Mothers who are obese during pregnancy, have diabetes or have an immune system disorder present a bigger risk for their child to have autism.

Potential complications that happen during birth, especially those that could lead to the baby’s brain being deprived of oxygen for a period of time, also play a role in autism. Children who are born well before their due date or have a very low weight at birth are also more likely to have autism.

There are other external environmental factors that can play a part in autism as well. This includes the baby being exposed to certain pesticides and air pollution while they are in the womb.

While there definitely needs to be more in-depth studies done into the direct links between these environmental factors and what risk they present to autism, it’s clear they do play a definitive role.

Blue Gems ABA Supports Children with Autism Through ABA Therapy

There are many different factors that play a role in autism, and the environment and social determinants are just a few. More research needs to be done into the topic, though there’s plenty of evidence to prove that they are important risk factors.

At Blue Gems ABA, we treat children on the autism spectrum, helping them gain the social, communication and daily life skills with which they often struggle. We do this by administering applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, on a one-to-one basis.

Our team of experienced BCBAs do this in both at-home and clinical settings, and cater ABA therapy treatment plans to specifically address the unique strengths and challenges of your child.

To learn more, please contact us today.