Mother's age is found to raise autism risk

A woman's chance of having a child with autism increases substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older fathers than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than five million births found.

"Although fathers' age can contribute risk, the risk is overwhelmed by maternal age," said the study's lead author, Janie Shelton, a researcher at the University of California at Davis.

Mothers older than 40 were about 50 percent more likely to have a child with autism than those in their 20s; the risk for fathers older than 40 was 36 percent higher than for men in their 20s.

Even at that, the study suggests the absolute risk of a woman over 40 having an autistic child was still less than 4 in 1,000, one expert noted.

The new research suggests the father's age appears to make the most difference with young mothers. Among children whose mothers were younger than 25, autism was twice as common when fathers were older than 40 than when fathers were in their 20s.

The findings contrast with recent research that suggested the father's age played a bigger role than the mother's. Researchers and other autism experts said the new study was more convincing, partly because it's larger. Older mothers are known to face increased risks for having children with genetic disorders, and genes are thought to play a role in autism.

The study was released yesterday in the journal Autism Research.

Maureen Durkin, a University of Wisconsin researcher who also has studied the influence of parents' age on autism, said it was important to note that the increased risks were small and that most babies born to older mothers did not develop autism.

Durkin said the overall low risk for autism "may be the most important take-home message," especially for prospective parents

The study was based on records of all 5.6 million births in California between Jan. 1, 1990, and Dec. 31, 1999, and on cases of autism diagnosed before age 6. That number totaled more than 13,000; the study involved 12,159 autistic children for whom information on both parents' ages was also available.

Catherine Lord, director of the University of Michigan's Autism and Communication Disorders Center, said the study was stronger than past research focusing on paternal age, and "gives us a fuller picture of what is going on."

Autism is a developmental disorder involving mild to severe problems with behavior, communication, and socializing.

Recent data suggest about 1 in 100 U.S. children are autistic, a rate that appears to have risen significantly in recent decades. Many experts believe that rise reflects better awareness and a broadening of the definition of autism rather than a true increase.