¶ … Interaction of Variables.
Influence upon a psychological phenomenon
One of the most alarming trends in psychology is the increase in diagnoses of autism. No singular cause has yet to be determined to explain why autism rates have increased so rapidly, although an increase in efficacy of screening, most scientists believe, cannot entirely explain the spike in cases. A correlation between the ages of the mother of children with autism has been observed. "The older a mother is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of autism." (De Noon 2010). For example, "women over age 40 are 77% more likely than women under age 25 to have a child with autism" while "women under age 25 are 14% less likely than women aged 25-29 to have a child with autism" (De Noon 2010). The correlation between the father's age and the likelihood of a child developing autism was not as strong "but only when the child is born to a father over age 40 and a mother under age 30" (De Noon 2010).
One hypothesis is that changes in the parents' genetic makeup make their offspring more vulnerable to autism. Another study found that "some mothers of children with autism had antibodies to fetal brain protein, while none of the mothers of typical children did," and production of such antibodies increases with age (Autism rates much higher in children with older moms, 2012, Live Science). These excessive antibodies could prevent the older mothers' offspring from developing normally. The buildup of environmental toxins in the body over time in older parents could also increase the likelihood of developing of autism.
Another possibility is that individuals who are more likely to marry late and to have children late might be more prone to have genetic tendencies towards giving birth to a child with autism. Autism is an impairment of normal social functioning, and quite often one or both parents may have a more mild form of autism,…
