Potential Causes And Risk Factors Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Siblings With The Condition

Studies have indicated children are more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder if they have older siblings who also have the condition. In fact, one study indicated there was a fourteen times greater chance of children with older siblings with autism spectrum disorder also developing the condition when compared to children with older siblings who did not have the condition. The same studies showed the heightened risk applied regardless of whether the child was born at full term or prematurely. About one percent of children with unaffected older siblings will develop autism spectrum disorder, while eleven percent of children who have older siblings with autism spectrum disorder will go on to develop the condition. The statistics in the studies also indicated boys with an older diagnosed sibling were more likely to be diagnosed than girls. However, since autism spectrum disorder is widely underdiagnosed in girls, it's uncertain whether there's a gender gap in the neurodivergence of siblings or simply in its diagnosis.

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