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Sibling spacing may be tied to autism risk: study - Reuters
A new study suggests that kids who are born only a year or two after an older sibling might be more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those with a bigger age gap.
The study does not prove that spacing children closer together causes autism in the second sibling, and Cheslack-Postava said there are many possible ways to explain the link - and that she "can't speculate as to what's the most likely."
"There's one possible explanation, (which) is that there is some biological factor" such as a mother's nutrient levels or stress that makes a second child more at risk for autism when siblings are closely spaced, Dr. Keely Cheslack-Postava, the study's lead author, from Columbia University, told Reuters Health.
The trend could, however, be explained by social factors, Cheslack-Postava said. Parents may be more likely to take a younger sibling to the doctor to be checked out for autism if they remember that only a year or two ago, when their older sibling was the same age, he or she was much farther along in development in certain areas.
A new study suggests that kids who are born only a year or two after an older sibling might be more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those with a bigger age gap.
The study does not prove that spacing children closer together causes autism in the second sibling, and Cheslack-Postava said there are many possible ways to explain the link - and that she "can't speculate as to what's the most likely."
"There's one possible explanation, (which) is that there is some biological factor" such as a mother's nutrient levels or stress that makes a second child more at risk for autism when siblings are closely spaced, Dr. Keely Cheslack-Postava, the study's lead author, from Columbia University, told Reuters Health.
The trend could, however, be explained by social factors, Cheslack-Postava said. Parents may be more likely to take a younger sibling to the doctor to be checked out for autism if they remember that only a year or two ago, when their older sibling was the same age, he or she was much farther along in development in certain areas.
