Two such factors that have been associated with a significant proportion of ASD risk are prenatal stress exposure and maternal immune dysregulation.
Depression isn't the only mental health factor that can influence pregnancy outcomes. High levels of stress during pregnancy may also be connected to autism in children. This connection appears to have the most impact when the parent experiences stress between weeks 25 and 28 of pregnancy.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Infancy, found babies of moms who experienced more fluctuations in stress during pregnancy showed more fear, sadness and distress at 3 months than those of moms who were less stressed.
Among children who were exposed to complications both before and during labor, the risk of developing autism was 44% higher. When doctors fail to properly monitor mothers and their unborn infants, the babies might suffer birth injuries and have a higher risk of developing autism.
Some types of birth trauma have been shown to increase the risk of ASD more than others. For instance, according to a study conducted by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, nearly seven percent of children with cerebral palsy who were included in the study had co-occurring ASD.
The Likely Answer: There's No Single Cause
While the exact cause of Asperger's isn't known, many experts believe the disorder is probably triggered by a variety of factors. A combination of genetic, neurological, and environmental issues might work together to cause the syndrome.
The causes of Asperger's Syndrome are unknown. Genetics and brain abnormalities may be involved. We do know that Asperger's Syndrome is NOT the result of a child's upbringing or poor parenting.
Maternal exposure to hormones during pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of the development of ASD in offspring. Dihydrotestosterone, progestin, and norethindrone exposure can induce significant ERβ promoter methylation and inhibit ERβ expression in offspring.
While autism is typically not diagnosed before the age of 2 (and often much later), it can sometimes be detected earlier. A 2022 study found that a routine second-trimester ultrasound could detect early signs of autism during pregnancy,19 including anomalies in the heart, head, and kidneys.
Premature puzzle: Autism rates are elevated among children born well before their due date. High blood pressure or abnormal bleeding during pregnancy, as well as complications such as cesarean delivery or preterm birth, may all increase the risk of autism, two new studies suggest1,2.
Most recently, some studies are suggesting that stress in the womb can affect a baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development. Infants whose mothers experienced high levels of stress while pregnant, particularly in the first trimester, show signs of more depression and irritability.
Pregnancy is a major life change, and it is normal to feel some stress and emotional changes. If people experience high stress levels or emotions that feel overwhelming or out of their control, they can speak with a doctor. There are no set guidelines for how much stress is too much during pregnancy.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.
They also noted that autism was most associated with anomalies in the urinary system, heart, head, and brain. They further found that those with autism tended to have a narrower head and a relatively wider ocular distance compared to typically developing fetuses.
In the United States, prenatal genetic testing (PGT) for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is currently available via clinical genetic services. Such testing may inform parents about their unborn child's risk for ASD, prepare parents for the birth of an affected infant, and allow them to arrange for early interventions.
There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
The investigator compared the birth patterns of 810 children with autism with those of 768 live birth controls and found that children with autism have an excess of March and August births. March birth has also been associated with increased risk of autism in studies conducted in Israel,10 Sweden, 11 and Denmark.
Summary: Researchers found idiopathic autism occurs as the result of epigenetic abnormalities in hematopoietic cells during fetal development, leading to immune dysregulation in the brain and gut.
Women who develop gestational diabetes early in their pregnancy have a slightly higher risk of having a child diagnosed with autism, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Summary. Determining pregnancy-related risk factors for autism is an ongoing area of research. Some risk factors have more evidence of an association than others. Taking certain antiepileptic drugs, being older parents, having a preterm birth, and developing gestational diabetes are believed to be risk factors.
Unbalanced dietary patterns before conception may be related to long-term maternal metabolic conditions such as metabolic syndrome, obesity and diabetes. Those conditions have also been identified as environmental risk factors for ASD as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Symptoms of Asperger's syndrome
Craving repetition and routine (and not responding well to change). Missing social cues in play and conversation. Not making eye contact with peers and adults.
The cause of Asperger syndrome, like most ASDs, is not fully understood, but there is a strong genetic basis, which means it does tend to run in families. Multiple environmental factors are also thought to play an important role in the development of all ASDs.
Asperger's syndrome is lifelong. But symptoms tend to improve over time. Adults with this condition can learn to understand their own strengths and weaknesses. And they can improve their social skills.