A new study challenges the theory that autism is largely passed down from mothers. In fact, siblings who are both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to get a larger portion of their DNA from their father.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
ASD has a tendency to run in families, but the inheritance pattern is usually unknown. People with gene changes associated with ASD generally inherit an increased risk of developing the condition, rather than the condition itself.
According to a study published in Molecular Autism, children born to mothers with autism have a 5.4% chance of also being diagnosed with the disorder, while children born to fathers with autism have only a 1.5% chance.
There is not just one cause of ASD. There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
Depression isn't the only mental health factor that can influence pregnancy outcomes. High levels of stress during pregnancy may also be connected to autism in children. This connection appears to have the most impact when the parent experiences stress between weeks 25 and 28 of pregnancy.
Having a family health history of ASD makes you more likely to have a child with ASD, or to have ASD yourself. If you have a child with ASD, you are more likely to have another child with ASD, especially if you have a daughter with ASD or more than one child with ASD.
Having a family health history of autism spectrum disorder will make you more likely to have a child with ASD or to have ASD yourself. While it doesn't necessarily mean that if the parent has ASD the child will as well, but there are some correlations when it comes to family history and this condition.
It is possible for one parent to pass down autism to their child, but it's not as simple as a single gene being responsible. Autism is believed to be caused by a complex interplay between many genes, and both genetic and environmental factors play a role in determining whether a child will develop the disorder.
Although scientists are still trying to understand why some people develop autism and others don't, risk factors may include: A sibling with autism. Older parents. Certain genetic conditions, such as Down, fragile X, and Rett syndromes.
Autism is not an illness
It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.
For starters, a recent study, partly funded by Autism Speaks, found that in families with one or more children with ASD, the chances that a baby sibling will develop autism are much higher than previously thought. In fact, the odds were around one in five, or 20 percent.
Can autism skip a generation? Yes, it's possible for autism to skip a generation. This is because the genes that contribute to autism can be passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, even if the parents do not have the condition.
A 2022 study found that a routine second-trimester ultrasound could detect early signs of autism during pregnancy,18 including anomalies in the heart, head, and kidneys. These anomalies were found in 30% of fetuses who were later diagnosed with ASD, a three times higher rate than typical fetuses.
In the United States, prenatal genetic testing (PGT) for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is currently available via clinical genetic services. Such testing may inform parents about their unborn child's risk for ASD, prepare parents for the birth of an affected infant, and allow them to arrange for early interventions.
Scientists long thought that siblings born with ASD share more of their mother's genome than their father's. But CSHL Associate Professor Ivan Iossifov and Professor Michael Wigler have now shown that, in many cases, it's dad who might be playing a bigger genetic role.
At the population level, it's more common for multiple different genes working together — possibly alongside environmental factors — to be behind an autism diagnosis. “Usually, a child with autism is born to parents who don't have autism,” Dr. Cuffman says. “It's usually a combination of factors that leads to autism.”
Autism Prevalence
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.
According to the CDC, the prevalence of autism in the United States is approximately 1 in 54 children. This means that the odds of having a child with autism are less than 2%.
Parents with no history of autism in their families have a child who is diagnosed with the disorder. It's a common and upsetting story. A quick Google search for “autism causes” is all it takes to learn that scientists believe the disorder has a strong genetic component.
Is there such a thing as an autism gene? Not really. There are several conditions associated with autism that stem from mutations in a single gene, including fragile X and Rett syndromes. But less than 1 percent of non-syndromic cases of autism stem from mutations in any single gene.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have shown that the risk of autism increases for firstborn children and children of older parents. The risk of a firstborn with an autism spectrum disorder triples after a mother turns 35 and a father reaches 40.
Taking certain antiepileptic drugs, being older parents, having a preterm birth, and developing gestational diabetes are believed to be risk factors. Possible risk factors include environmental toxins and taking Tylenol during pregnancy.
A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can identify early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center has found.