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Descriptive epidemiology of autism in a California population: who is at risk?

Lisa A Croen1, Judith K Grether, Steve Selvin

  • 1March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation/California Department of Health Services, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Oakland 94606-5226, USA. Lisa.A.Croen@kp.org

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|July 11, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Autism risk is higher in males, multiple births, and children born to Black mothers. Risk also increases with maternal age and education, suggesting environmental factors interact with genetic vulnerability.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
  • Identifying risk factors for ASD is crucial for early intervention and prevention strategies.
  • Demographic and maternal characteristics are potential contributors to ASD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infant and maternal characteristics and the risk of autism.
  • To identify specific demographic factors associated with increased autism prevalence.
  • To explore potential interactions between environmental factors and genetic vulnerability in ASD.

Main Methods:

  • Case-control study using California birth records (1989-1994) and service agency data.
  • Identification of 4381 children with autism from over 3.5 million live births.
  • Multivariate statistical models to calculate adjusted risk estimates for various characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Increased autism risk observed in males, multiple births, and children born to Black mothers.
  • Maternal age and maternal education levels were positively associated with autism risk.
  • Children born to immigrant mothers showed similar or decreased risk compared to California-born mothers.

Conclusions:

  • Specific demographic factors are associated with altered autism risk.
  • Environmental influences linked to these demographic characteristics may play a role in ASD development.
  • Further research is needed to understand the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in autism etiology.

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