Autism Risk: Genes-Environment

Did you know that according to CDC (Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia) about one in 88 children in the United States has some type of autism spectrum disorder? Data was provided by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, operational in 14 states. The incidence in boys is said to be about five times higher than in girls. A 2011 study of twins by scientists at Stanford University concluded that genes account for 38 percent of autism risk (not 90 percent as previously believed) and environmental factors for 62 percent. Attempts to identify the environmental factors are the subject of two large studies funded by the National Institutes of Health.