Theories on What Causes Autism
Paternal Age, Rainfall Rates and Exposure to Wi-Fi Devices Studied
Nov 6, 2008
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum diagnosis rates are 1 in 150 children nationally. There is a higher rate in some areas, most notably New Jersey, while other states have a lower prevalence. One question that is commonly asked, regardless of a state’s diagnostic rate, is “What causes autism?”
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question and it is likely that once it can be answered, there will be more than one cause. In the search for the answer to this question, many interesting and even farfetched theories have been published.
Paternal Age
An advanced paternal age has been linked to an increased likelihood of an autism diagnosis in various research studies conducted over the past few years. In the study "Advancing paternal age and autism," which was published in the September 2006 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, “Offspring of men 40 years or older were 5.75 times (95% confidence interval, 2.65-12.46; P<.001) more likely to have ASD compared with offspring of men younger than 30 years, after controlling for year of birth, socioeconomic status, and maternal age.” (Reichenberg, et al)
The study went on to conclude that advanced maternal age, which is often linked with chromosomal disorders like Down syndrome, is not associated with an increased chance of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder.
Rainfall Rates
Michael Waldman of Cornell University has recently published a study that correlates an increase in rainfall to an increase in autism diagnoses. The study looked at children that were born between 1987 and 1999 in California, Oregon and Washington and then looked at the rainfall rates from 1987 to 2001.
“Autism prevalence rates for school-aged children in California, Oregon and Washington in 2005 were positively related to the amount of precipitation these counties received from 1987 through 2001.” (Source: ScienceDaily Online, accessed 11/6/08)
Wi-Fi Exposure
Wireless technology is pervasive now; from free Wi-Fi connectivity at your local coffee shop to wireless mobile phone technology, it is difficult to avoid Wi-Fi devices as you go about your day. In a 2007 study published by Dr. George Carlo in the Australasian Journal of Clinical and Environmental Medicine, the link between autism and the use of Wi-Fi is discussed.
The study summarizes that “the signals spewing from the Wi-Fi router in your office can trap certain metals within brain cells and increase the chances your kids will develop autism.” (Source: InformationWeek Online, accessed 11/4/08)
While some of these research studies provide a weak relationship between autism and the cause that they are supporting, the studies themselves are still important. Eventually, one of these studies will be published that will unequivocally answers the question, “what causes autism?”
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