Can a Parent’s Age Cause Autism?
While much more is known about autism today than ever before, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. One of the big things on people’s minds is how autism develops and what some of the major risk factors for it are.
Unfortunately, there is no medical exam or blood test that can detect autism. Instead, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can only be diagnosed by trained professionals based on symptoms that present through a child’s development and behavior.
The reason for this is that there hasn’t been one individual cause of ASD identified as of yet. That being said, there’s a lot of solid research that shows that there could be multiple factors that play a role in whether a child develops autism.
One of the risk factors is a parent’s age. While much more research needs to be completed into this topic, we do know that advanced age of parents can lead to an increased risk for their children to have autism.
Here is some more information on that topic.
Learn more about who autism affects
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What Role Does a Parent’s Age Play in Autism?
Many studies have shown that the older a mother is, the higher the risk that her child will experience health issues. This also includes neurodevelopment disorders such as autism.
At the same time, the age of the father also plays a large role. In fact, some research has shown that an advanced paternal age can have a bigger impact on children developing autism.
It is important to note that no clear and direct link has been drawn between advanced parental age and autism. That being said, many studies show that children are at higher risk of developing ASD if their parents are older — and even more so if their grandparents are older, too.
What is the Autism Prevalence Rate by Parental Age?
To fully understand this risk, it’s helpful to take a look at the increased risk of a child developing autism based on their parents’ age.
One particular study revealed that children have a 10% greater chance of developing ASD if their parents are 30 years old or older1 when compared to parents who are between 25 and 29 years old.
That risk factor goes even higher, up to 50%, when parents are older than 40 years old. A study conducted by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine showed that children whose fathers are 40 years old or older are 5.75 times more likely to develop ASD than children who are born to fathers 30 years old or younger. 2
Interestingly, the study didn’t find any link between maternal age and an increased or decreased risk of autism for their children.
There are other studies, though, that have shown that a mother’s age does play an important part in autism risk factors. One California study, for instance, found that the mother’s age had a bigger impact on a child’s chances of developing ASD compared to the father3.
So, what does this all mean? Essentially, more studies need to be done to determine the exact link — if any — that the age of a child’s parents has on that child’s chances of developing autism.
But, it’s also clear that parental age does, in fact, play at least some role in the risk factor.
What are Some of the Other Risk Factors for Autism?
Parental age may play a role in autism development, but what are some of the other potential risk factors? Many research studies have found that there is a plethora of reasons why a child may develop autism.
Some of the most common risk factors for that include genetics, biology, environment, a difficult birth, a very premature birth, a very low birth weight and infections that happen during pregnancy.
Studies are also examining the role that some other factors may play into ASD development, including socioeconomic levels of the parents, other biological causes, genetic mutations and some social issues.
All of these studies hope to paint a clearer picture of why some children develop autism and others don’t, though we may never really get a single, definitive answer to that question.
Blue Gems ABA Helps Children with Autism Build the Skills They Need
Parental age definitely plays a factor in autism development, though it’s not a direct cause of a child having ASD.
Regardless of why a child has autism, the best way to help support them is through applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy. This science- and evidence-based approach to learning and behavior helps children build the social, communication and daily life skills that they often struggle with.
At Blue Gems ABA, our team of experienced BCBAs is dedicated to supporting children on the autism spectrum and their families so they can live happy and fulfilling lives.
To learn more, please contact us today.
617-297-7998
617-340-3371
info@bluegemsaba.com
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