Why children of older mothers are at higher risk of autism

　　A research report released by Sweden's Karolinska Institute on the 2nd showed that the older the mother, the higher the risk of autism in her children. male The performance is particularly obvious in the offspring.

　　The study was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and King's College London, UK. Researchers compared the children of mothers of different ages into groups and found that children of mothers over 35 years old had a 30% higher risk of developing autism compared with those under 35 years old, and children of mothers under 20 years old had the lowest risk of autism.

　　Sven Sandin, who led the study, said it was not yet certain why the older the mother was, the higher the risk of autism in her children. But researchers speculate that this may be related to genetic changes and environmental factors as maternal age increases.

　　Autism is a severe mental development disorder. Symptoms usually appear before the age of 3. The main characteristics are indifference to emotions, refusal to communicate, delayed language development, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, and significant limitations in the scope of activities and interests.

　　Many previous studies have pointed to genetic factors as the cause of autism in children. This latest study further points out that non-genetic factors such as environment are also related to autism in children.