Risk factors for autism

Risk factors

Autism affects children of all races and nationalities, but certain factors are known to increase a child’s risk. They include: Family history. Families who have one child with autism have an increased risk of having another child with the disorder. Other disorders. Children with certain medical conditions have a higher than normal risk of having autism. These conditions include fragile X syndrome; epilepsy; Tourette syndrome; and tuberous sclerosis. Paternal age. Research increasingly suggests that having an older father may increase a child’s risk of autism. One large study showed that children born to men 40 years or older were almost six times more likely to have autism spectrum disorder than were children born to men younger than 30 years. Therefore autism treatment has to consider many variables when establishing a treatment plan.