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Birth patterns in mentally retarded autistic patients
M H Yeates-Frederikx1, H Nijman, E Logher
1Psychiatric Hospital Welterhof, Heerlen, The Netherlands. volkoren@wxs.nl
Insights
This study found no evidence that autistic children are born more often in the spring. Comparing 1,031 autistic patients to the general population revealed no significant differences in birth patterns for autism spectrum disorder.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Previous research suggested a potential link between spring births and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- This hypothesis requires validation in diverse populations and with robust methodologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between birth season and autism in a large Dutch cohort.
- To replicate or refute prior claims of a seasonal birth pattern in autism.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of birth dates from 1,031 autistic patients in the Netherlands.
- Comparison of patient birth data against the general Dutch population's birth records.
- Subgroup analyses based on diagnostic criteria, gender, and intelligence levels.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant deviation in birth patterns was observed for autistic individuals compared to the general population.
- Analyses across diagnostic subgroups, gender, and intelligence did not reveal any seasonal birth differences.
Conclusions:
- The study provides no support for the hypothesis that autism spectrum disorder is associated with a specific birth season.
- Autism's etiology does not appear to be characterized by a deviant birth pattern based on this large-scale Dutch study.
Abstract:
Some studies claim to have shown that, compared to the general population, autistic children are born more often in the spring. The current study sought to replicate this finding in a large Dutch sample of mentally retarded autistic patients. Birth data for 1,031 patients with a diagnosis of "Infantile Autism" or "other psychoses with origin specific to childhood" were compared to those of the Dutch national population. Separate analyses were performed on diagnostic subgroups (i.e., infantile autism vs. other psychoses with origin specific to childhood), gender, and intelligence. No evidence was found to suggest that autism is characterized by a deviant birth pattern.