Fatherhood Over 40 May Heighten Autism Risk

[Guest guest]

I read this in the Wall St. Journal this morning...but, it must not apply in all cases. We have 2 with ASD and my husband just turned 37 two weeks ago. So, we're not at 40 yet! And, the 2 with ASD were born before our so-far neurotypical child. Hey, if there's a situation that we can be the exception to, believe me, we will find it! Now, if only that would work to our advantage...say, in picking lottery numbers....

Sigh...

--Suzanne

[Guest guest]

Becoming a father at an older age increases the likelihood of having an autistic child, suggests new research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.Abraham Reichenberg, PhD, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and colleagues studied data from more than 130,000 individuals born during the 1980s in Israel. Their investigation is based on biographical information on the subjects who were being assessed for eligibility to serve in the Israeli military at age 17. They found that those whose fathers were over 40 when they were born were 5.75 times as likely to have autism or related disorders (known collectively as "autism spectrum disorders") than those whose fathers were under 30. They were more than one and a half times as likely to have those conditions as individuals whose fathers were 30 to 39. A total of 110 individuals were identified

with some type of autism spectrum disorder. Although the study is not the first to link parental age with autism, the findings add support to the theory that genetics contributes to the mental disorder. Autism is characterized by social abnormalities such as avoidance of physical or eye contact, communicating with gestures rather than words, and engaging in repetitive patterns of behavior such as head-banging. More common in boys than in girls, autism is usually diagnosed in the first few years of life. Autism spectrum disorders have become increasingly common, currently affecting 50 in every 10,000 children -- up from five in 10,000 twenty years ago. The increase may be due in part to an increase in recognition of autism and better diagnostic procedures, the authors note, but it could also mean that autism is occurring in more people than it used to. There are several possible genetic

mechanisms for the paternal age effect, according to the researchers, including spontaneous mutations in sperm-producing cells or alterations in genetic imprinting. Earlier research by some of the same authors found an association between older age at fatherhood and both lower intelligence scores and schizophrenia. Studies conducted by other investigators have shown that sperm mutate more often in older men, possibly increasing the risk for brain abnormalities in their children. The mothers' age at childbirth seems to have little or no effect on autism in the child. "Although further work is necessary to confirm this interpretation, we believe that our study provides the first convincing evidence that advanced paternal age is a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder," the authors conclude. http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002409/49/ ---Becky Mother to , 15, Autism, Epilepsy, Cerebal Palsy, MR Everybody has barriers and obstacles. If you look at them as containing fences that don't allow you to advance, then you're going to be a failure. If you look at them as hurdles that strengthen you each time you go over one, then you're going to be a success. Carson Surgeon

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

[Guest guest]

For all the money and time spent on this study what does it really prove? So

little is known about autism let alone the cause,this sounds alot like the known

" facts " of causes of Down syndrome which says women over 40 are more likely to

have a child with downs...yet how do they explain women that are younger than

40? Does it matter how old you are? If the chromosome is there to pass on it

just is..I would think.I don't know about the rest of you but my son's father

was 25 when our son was conceived,obviously way younger than 40.The one thing

that I do believe is that it is genetic but as for age,race,and any other

discriminating factor I don't believe it has a thing to do with it.

Stacey

From: becky griggs <sleeplessohio@...>

Date: 2006/09/05 Tue PM 02:59:46 CDT

autism ohio <autismohio >

Subject: Fatherhood Over 40 May Heighten Autism Risk

Becoming a father at an older age increases the likelihood of having

an autistic child, suggests new research published in the Archives

of General Psychiatry.

Abraham Reichenberg, PhD, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New

York, and Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and

colleagues studied data from more than 130,000 individuals born

during the 1980s in Israel. Their investigation is based on

biographical information on the subjects who were being assessed for

eligibility to serve in the Israeli military at age 17.

They found that those whose fathers were over 40 when they were born

were 5.75 times as likely to have autism or related disorders (known

collectively as " autism spectrum disorders " ) than those whose

fathers were under 30. They were more than one and a half times as

likely to have those conditions as individuals whose fathers were 30

to 39. A total of 110 individuals were identified with some type of

autism spectrum disorder.

Although the study is not the first to link parental age with

autism, the findings add support to the theory that genetics

contributes to the mental disorder.

Autism is characterized by social abnormalities such as avoidance of

physical or eye contact, communicating with gestures rather than

words, and engaging in repetitive patterns of behavior such as head-

banging. More common in boys than in girls, autism is usually

diagnosed in the first few years of life.

Autism spectrum disorders have become increasingly common, currently

affecting 50 in every 10,000 children -- up from five in 10,000

twenty years ago. The increase may be due in part to an increase in

recognition of autism and better diagnostic procedures, the authors

note, but it could also mean that autism is occurring in more people

than it used to.

There are several possible genetic mechanisms for the paternal age

effect, according to the researchers, including spontaneous

mutations in sperm-producing cells or alterations in genetic

imprinting.

Earlier research by some of the same authors found an association

between older age at fatherhood and both lower intelligence scores

and schizophrenia. Studies conducted by other investigators have

shown that sperm mutate more often in older men, possibly increasing

the risk for brain abnormalities in their children.

The mothers' age at childbirth seems to have little or no effect on

autism in the child.

" Although further work is necessary to confirm this interpretation, <BR>we

believe that our study provides the first convincing evidence <BR>that advanced

paternal age is a risk factor for autism spectrum <BR>disorder, " the authors

conclude.

http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002409/49/

---

Becky Mother to , 15, Autism, Epilepsy, Cerebal Palsy,  MR   Everybody

has barriers and obstacles. If you look at them as containing fences that don't

allow you to advance, then you're going to be a failure. If you look at them as

hurdles that strengthen you each time you go over one, then you're going to be a

success.

Carson

Surgeon

Stay in the know. Pulse on the new .com. Check it out.

[Guest guest]

Stacey-I agree with you. The autistic children I know where conceived when

the parents were below 30 years of age.

Elaine

=

For all the money and time spent on this study what does it really prove? So

little is known about autism let alone the cause,this sounds alot like the

known " facts " of causes of Down syndrome which says women over 40 are more

likely to have a child with downs...yet how do they explain women that are

younger than 40? Does it matter how old you are? If the chromosome is there

to pass on it just is..I would think.I don't know about the rest of you but

my son's father was 25 when our son was conceived,obviously way younger than

40.The one thing that I do believe is that it is genetic but as for

age,race,and any other discriminating factor I don't believe it has a thing

to do with it.

Stacey

=

[Guest guest]

& Elaine wrote:

Stacey-I agree with you. The autistic children I know where

conceived when

the parents were below 30 years of age.

It does what science is supposed to

do. It answers questions by asking more. If autism is caused by a

mutation of a gene, it shows that that gene comes from the father. A

mutation can occur in a father of any age but this study implies that

age is a contributing factor. Down's Syndrome is caused by chromosome

21 having an extra copy, three instead of two. This 'sticking

together' is much more common in older mothers. This is not to say

that it never occurs in younger mothers, just more often in older

mothers.

R