Who Autism Affects
Autism is a wide and variety neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people of all backgrounds, genders and nationalities. While the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can vary greatly from one person to the next, generally speaking, it affects how one interacts and communicates with others, as well as how they behave.
ASD is defined by two main characteristics — repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The developmental disorder can first be spotted early in life, and it can affect how the child develops and, eventually, how they interact with peers and others in school, work and everyday life.
Over the last 10 years, advances in science, medicine and research have led to an extreme advancement in our knowledge of what autism is, how it affects people and what can be done to support those on the autism spectrum.
Many parents still have questions about who autism affects the most, as they wonder whether their child might be more susceptible to it than others.
Following is a discussion of some of the most common causes and risk factors of autism.
Table Of Contents
Genetics
Research has shown that there are multiple genes that are involved in determining whether a child develops ASD. Some children have ASD that’s associated with a specific genetic disorder, including fragile X syndrome and Rett syndrome.
For others, it’s not so direct. There might be a mutation of a gene that increases their risk for ASD. Or, it could be a gene that plays a bigger role in the development of the brain or the brain cells.
Some of these genetic mutations are inherited from one generation to the next, while other mutations happen spontaneously and without much explanation.
Gender
While autism affects both boys and girls, boys are roughly four times more likely to have ASD than girls1. There is some debate about these statistics, though, and some theories about why this might be.
One reason is that the criteria that was developed to diagnose ASD was based on a study of just boys. Another is that girls tend to hide or “mask” their symptoms of ASD better than boys do, as they tend to want to fit in with their peers more at an early age.
This can lead to girls being misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all while their younger, with their symptoms affecting them more as they get older and face more “real-life” challenges.
Learn more about how Autism presents in girls
Family History
If your family has one child on the autism spectrum, there’s an increased risk that other children you have will have ASD as well. Research has found that it’s not altogether uncommon for the parents, or even other relatives, of children with ASD to face some challenges with communication or social skills themselves.
These relatives may also show some signs that are typically associated with autism, even if they have never been diagnosed with it.
Learn more about the role family history plays in autism
Age of the Parent and When the Baby Was Born
Some studies have drawn a connection between how old parents are when their children are born and the risk of developing ASD2. These studies suggest that children born to older parents are more at risk for ASD than others.
This is of particular interest in the U.S. today, as an increasing number of people are waiting until they’re older to have children.
Another semi-related factor is how far along in the typical “term” the child was when they were born. If a baby was born extremely premature — at 26 weeks or earlier — they might have a greater risk for ASD.
Of course, more research is needed on both of these possible risk factors to determine the link.
Learn more about the link between the age of the parent and autism
Environment
In addition to parents’ age and when a baby was born in the term, researchers are also exploring if environmental factors may play a role in a child’s risk in developing ASD. This includes air pollutants, complications that a mother experienced during pregnancy, medications that a mother took during pregnancy, viral infections and more.
No definitive conclusions have been drawn as of yet, but it’s possible that one or more environmental factors could play a role.
One thing that has been ruled out are whether vaccines could cause ASD. Extensive research has concluded that there are no links between vaccines and ASD.
Blue Gems ABA Helps Children with ASD Grow and Develop
There’s no singular factor that determines whether your child with have autism or not. Instead, there are multiple factors that might play a role in determining whether they will be born with and develop the neurodevelopmental disorder.
Luckily, if your child is diagnosed with ASD, there are great treatment options available, led by applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy.
At Blue Gems ABA, we have a team of trained and licensed BCBAs who cater ABA therapy treatment programs specifically to each one of our patients. This helps them learn and grow individually, based on a program designed to meet their specific needs and challenges.
To learn more, please contact us today.
617-297-7998
617-340-3371
info@bluegemsaba.com
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