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Parental Age and Autism Spectrum Disorders Among New York City Children 0-36 Months of Age

Carol A Quinlan1, Katharine H McVeigh, Cynthia R Driver

  • 1Division of Mental Hygiene, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 42-09 28th Street, Queens, NY, 11101, USA, carol.quinlan@nyumc.org.

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|March 18, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence increased significantly in NYC children. Older parental age was linked to higher ASD risk, but did not explain the overall rise in cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Epidemiology
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis rates have been increasing.
  • Parental age at childbirth has also been rising.
  • Understanding the interplay between parental age and ASD risk is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate trends in ASD diagnoses among young children in New York City.
  • To examine the association between parental age and ASD risk.
  • To determine the extent to which changes in parental age explain the observed increase in ASD prevalence.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized vital statistics and Early Intervention (EI) program data for NYC children born between 1994-2001.
  • Employed multiple logistic regression to estimate ASD odds by parental age, controlling for risk factors.
  • Analyzed the contribution of parental age shifts to ASD prevalence changes.

Main Results:

  • ASD prevalence in NYC's EI program rose dramatically from 1 in 3,300 (1994) to 1 in 233 (2001).
  • Increased odds of ASD were associated with advanced maternal age (25-34, 35+) and older paternal age (35+).
  • Shifts in parental age accounted for only 2.7% of the observed increase in ASD prevalence.

Conclusions:

  • Older maternal and paternal age are independent risk factors for ASD.
  • The rise in parental age does not explain the significant increase in ASD diagnoses observed in NYC.
  • Further research is needed to identify other factors contributing to the escalating rates of autism spectrum disorder.

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