Madeline SchwartzAutism: Study Shows Evidence Of A Major Environmental Trigger For The Disorder
November 17th 2008 17:46
Researchers at Cornell University report in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine that they have found evidence of an environmental trigger for autism among genetically vulnerable children.
It is the first peer-reviewed study to positively associate the prevalence of autism to a factor related to the levels of precipitation in the areas in which children live. While many autism experts believe that the disorder is triggered by the combination of an environmental trigger and a genetic predisposition, previous literature provides few clues concerning what the important environmental triggers might be.
The researchers discuss several possible environmental triggers related to higher levels of precipitation,
including increased rates of early childhood TV and video viewing, increased rates of vitamin D deficiency,
increased exposure to chemicals used in household cleaners that children who spend more time indoors would likely experience.
The research team plans to conduct further statistical studies aimed at identifying which of these possibilities are actual triggers for autism. The findings—based on a statistical estimate of how many autistic children in the sample were diagnosed with autism due to the added or incremental exposure to the possible environmental triggers related to precipitation—suggest that as many as 30% or more of autism diagnoses may be due to an environmental trigger or triggers related to levels of precipitation where the children live.
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