Article: Maternal age and complications in pregnancy or birth may be risk factors.

2004 JUN 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mothers of children diagnosed with autism are more likely to be older and to have experienced obstetric difficulties during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, but these complications are likely related to underlying genetic factors, psychiatrists report.

Autism is believed to have a genetic basis, although some studies suggest that prenatal factors may play a role in this developmental disorder characterized by severely impaired social functioning and communication. Autism has a prevalence of about 10 to 20 per 10,000 individuals, and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 3 to 4 years, when certain developmental ...

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