Connection Found Between Autism and Older Mothers, Breech Births

A recent study conducted by U.S. researchers has found that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are almost twice as prevalent in children of older mothers and those that had a breech presentation at delivery. A breech birth is one where the baby is in a feet-first position (legs and buttocks first) in the mother’s uterus right before birth, usually calling for delivery via cesarean section. For the study, lead researcher Dr. Deborah Bilder of the University of Utah School of Medicine and her team looked at data collected on children born in Utah in 1994. All of the 8-year-olds involved in the study had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 2002 through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, a group of programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine the prevalence of the disorders in the U.S. Researchers then acquired birth records for 132 of those children and compared them with the records of 13,200 children without an autism spectrum disorder. They found that children born to mothers age 35 and older were 1.6 times more likely than those born to younger women to develop an autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorders were also 1.8 times more likely to develop in the first born child. In addition, Bilder and her colleagues found that children born in a breech delivery were twice as likely to develop an ASD than those that did not have a breech presentation at birth.

The study, which was published in Pediatrics, confirmed previous studies suggesting that genetics play a significant role in the development of autism. Bilder noted that she does not believe that any of these factors are causes of ASDs and that there is a prenatal factor involved that may incorporate a genetic or environmental component. In addition, Bilder stated that the absolute risk for autism is still relatively small, so mothers over 34 should not be worried. If you believe your child’s autism was caused by a doctor’s negligence, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. Our Manhattan birth injury, Bronx birth injury, Brooklyn birth injury, Queens birth injury and Long Island birth injury attorneys will evaluate your case at no charge to you. Call or submit and instant inquiry today for your FREE consultation.

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