Study Links Autism Likelihood With Father’s Age

Yet another study is looking into what factors are at play in the likelihood that a child is autistic.  This new research suggests that there’s a link between the father’s age and the child’s risk of autism or schizophrenia.

FOX News Radio’s Lisa Lacerra has details:

The investigation, led by the Icelandic company Decode Genetics, finding older men are more likely than young ones to father a child who develops autism or schizophrenia, due to random mutations that become more numerous as the father gets older.

The study, published online in the journal, “Nature,” provides support for the argument that the exploding rate of autism diagnoses is due, in part, to the older age of fathers.  In this study, the mother’s age had no bearing, contradictory to previous studies.

The experts say the news should not be a reason for men to forego fatherhood, but it may have some influence on when couples decide to have children.

Lisa Lacerra, FOX News Radio.