The team found that mothers passed only half of their structural variants on to their autistic children—a frequency that would be expected by chance alone—suggesting that variants inherited from mothers were not associated with autism. But surprisingly, fathers did pass on substantially more than 50% of their variants.
Due to its lower prevalence in females, autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component. However, research also suggests that the rarer variants associated with autism are mostly inherited from the father.
If someone in your family has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you may be more likely to have a child with ASD. ASD can look very different from person to person, so taking a careful family health history can be important for early diagnosis.
There's no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder, but there are treatment options. Early diagnosis and intervention is most helpful and can improve behavior, skills and language development. However, intervention is helpful at any age.
Advanced parental age at time of conception. Prenatal exposure to air pollution or certain pesticides. Maternal obesity, diabetes, or immune system disorders. Extreme prematurity or very low birth weight.
The findings fit with a theory called the 'female protective effect,' which holds that it takes more genetic factors to lead to autism in women than it does in men. In this case, women who have mild traits of autism may pass down autism-related gene variants to their children, without having autism themselves.
Study Finds 80% Risk From Inherited Genes. A new study looking at autism in 5 countries found that 80 percent of autism risk can be traced to inherited genes rather than environmental factors and random mutations.
Family ties: Children with an autistic parent or siblings have nine times the usual odds of having autism. Children in families with a history of brain conditions are at increased odds of being autistic, a large study in Sweden suggests1.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known.
The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often appear early in development. Many children show symptoms of autism by 12 months to 18 months of age or earlier. Some early signs of autism include: Problems with eye contact.
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. Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure".
Children born to older parents are at a higher risk for having autism. Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2 to 18 percent chance of having a second child who is also affected. Studies have shown that among identical twins, if one child has autism, the other will be affected about 36 to 95 percent of the time.
About 1 in 150 Australians has ASD. The characteristics of ASD usually start in infancy. But they may not be noticeable until the age of 2 or 3 years. Sometimes ASD is diagnosed much later in life.
A new study offers clues to why autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more common in boys than in girls. National Institutes of Health scientists found that a single amino acid change in the NLGN4 gene, which has been linked to autism symptoms, may drive this difference in some cases.
A routine prenatal ultrasound can identify early signs of autism, study finds. Summary: A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can identify early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a new study has found.
Characteristics of Mild Autism
Repetitive or fixated behaviors, interests, or activities: Autistic people often repeat movements or words as a way to self-regulate, a behavior often referred to as “stimming.” They may also adhere to specific routines and have specific and intense interests.
There's no lab test for it, so doctors rely on observing the behaviors of very young children and listening to the concerns of their parents. ASD has a very wide range of symptoms. Some people who are “on the spectrum” have severe mental disabilities.
There are two distinct pathways when seeking an adult diagnosis. Assessments can be conducted by a psychologist, or by a psychiatrist, with experience in assessing autism. Both will conduct some form of standardised testing for autism and other conditions, such as ADHD or mood disorders, and provide you with a report.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors screen all children for autism starting at 18 months of age and refer children with positive test results to an autism specialist for further evaluation, to an audiologist for a hearing test and to early-intervention services for therapy2.
It's common for autistic children to show so-called restricted interest – that is, they like a particular subject so much that they focus only on it. They love to read, know more, and talk about it, becoming practically experts.
Children with autism play differently than those who don't have autism. They often like to repeat actions over and over and line up objects, rather than playing pretend. They usually prefer to play alone and have challenges working together with others.