Causes of Autism in Children

No single cause is specifically responsible for the development of autism.



This is because autism is a complex disorder and no two children with autism will show same symptoms. Thus there is a possibility that there are many causes related to this disorder.

Causes of Autism spectrum disorders
Genetic errors - Many researches show a number of genes to play a role in the development of autism.



Some may affect the brain development of the child or interfere with the brain cell communication; others may make the child more susceptible to this disorder. Genes may also play a role in determining the severity of symptoms. Some genetic errors may be inherited, but others may occur spontaneously.



Although each gene may account only a small number of cases, together they may have a substantial influence.
Environmental factors - Autism causes along with genes certain environmental factors are also responsible, as in case of many other health problems. Discovery for the exact environmental cause for the development of this disorder is still on going for instance some pollutants in air or viral infection.
Other cause of autism - Some other autism causes under investigation include the role of immune system and some problems during labor and delivery. Some researchers also believe that damage to a portion in the brain - amygdale serves as a danger detector and may play a role in development of autism. Although researches have not found any link between vaccines and autism, this is one of the greatest controversies in autism centers. Many believe that certain childhood vaccines containing thimerosal or measles-mumps-rubella vaccine have a link with autism. However since 2001 most of the children vaccines have no thimerosal - a preservative which contains small amount of mercury, but still the controversies continue.

Certain risk factors known to increase the risk of autism in children includes -
Family history - It is seen that if one child in the family has autism then the risk of developing this disorder in other child increases. Relatives and parents of an autistic child may also have minor problems with communication or social skills or they are engaged in some autistic behaviors.
Child’s sex - Many researches show that boys are almost 4 times more at risk of developing autism than girls.




Parental age - Fathers age may also be a responsible factor for developing autism as many researches show that a child born to older men generally above the age of 40 years is at higher risk for developing autism spectrum disorders than to a child born to a man younger than 30 years.
Other disorders - Children with some already existing medical conditions like fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, neurological disorders, epilepsy, or an inherited disorder are at greater risk for developing autism.