By Lacie Glover
NerdWallet
Only a short time ago, autism was one of our great medical mysteries. Today, its one of the better-funded disease research areas with great benefit: Autisms causes and treatments are more understood than ever before.
We know that a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors causes autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But this year, researchers learned more about the entire spectrum of disorders, from the time those people affected are in the womb through their adulthood.
Environmental factors
Two studies this year confirmed that environmental factors play a part in the development of ASD. The first was conducted by University of Chicago Medical Center researchers, who analyzed 100 million medical records. They compared rates of autism and intellectual disability with genital malformations in newborn males, since malformations are an indicator of exposure to toxins in the womb.
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The UCMC researchers found that for every 1 percent increase in malformations, there was a 283 percent increase in autism prevalence. There was also a 94 percent increase in intellectual disability.
The more recent study, conducted through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and published this October, compared autism rates to air pollutant measures in California and North Carolina for over 150,000 children. Those two states were chosen for their similar climates but opposite seasonal levels of air pollution. The study showed that autism births were highest in summer in North Carolina, and it was highest in the fall and winter in California when air pollution is highest in each region.
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Continued here:
Autism research: 4 things we learned in 2014