Study Suggests Parents’ Age Affects Risk of Autism in Kids
Maternal age beyond 40 is associated with higher risk of having a child with autism, while advanced paternal age also can contribute to such a risk, but only if the father is older and the mother is under 30, according to a study published on Monday in the February issue of the Autism Research journal. The study is one of the largest population-based studies to report how each parent's age affects the risk of autism, analyzing 12,159 cases of the disorder in California during the 1990s.
- "Both Parents' Ages Linked to Autism Risk" (Rabin, New York Times, 2/9).
- "UC-Davis Study Suggests Autism Risk Grows With Mother's Advancing Age" (Lindelof, Sacramento Bee, 2/8).