Father over age 45 more likely to have Autistic children

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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/aging-dads- ... -and-more/

Don't know about the truth of this supposition, but for the record my father was 57 when I was born.

My dad was 48 when I was born so he would have been 47 when I was conceived but then he would have been 49 when my perfectly NT sister with no disabilities and a high IQ was conceived .


*Yes, I know one example doesn't prove/disprove the study.

Chicken or the egg?

Is it that first-time fathers aged 45+ are more likely to simply father autistic children because of their age, or that first-time fathers aged 45+ are more likely to be autistic themselves and pass the genes on to their kids?

We know that, typically, those with AS/Autism get a later start in life, are less likely to marry, procreate, hold a steady job than on average. Those who actually do oftentimes do so much later in life, meaning many of these older first-time dads might be aspies themselves. I think it would be interesting if the 45+ first-time fathers of autistic children were also tested for autism, just to see how many of them had it.

Not in my family, among the diagnosed people we all have young to average aged parents at conception.

Me: mom 27, dad 33
Dad: mom 17, dad 26
DS1: mom 28, dad 27
DS2: mom 30, dad 29
Brother (borderline): mom 24, dad 30.

Men's fertility do decline after 45, though. So it's probably still a good idea to not wait too long. Besides I just can't imagine sending my kids to daycare and preschools at 50. That's the age to attend their college graduation or wedding.

My father had me when he was 34. Mum was 35.

My siblings are all normal. My cousins were born when their mum was about 38 to 40. Both are not diagnosed with any form of ASD

Bottom line, it really depends. I don't think it would of mattered even if my dad had me when he was 10 years younger. Some of my older relatives might even
have small, and unnoticeable traits of ASD.

Last edited by Lord_Psych on 27 Feb 2014, 4:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

Unlike woman, men produce their DNA-support to conceivement (=semen) "on time". Every normal human being gets slowly damage to his DNA when he ages, to the natural radiation on earth, sun-rays, ... Because of that older fathers have as well higher chances to have more defects on their freshly produced DNA in their semen.

Still its all about statistics and chances. So just as fresh drivers have a higher chance to cause a car crash, that does not mean, that they automatically do so. ^^

My father was 45 when I was born. But my own son was born when I was 27!(he is also autistic)

Another possibility is that if the father is autistic (even mildly so), perhaps he waited to an older age to have kids because he felt no need to have them at a younger age.

This supposes that the issue is only relevant to first children, but the article is very poorly written and it is impossible to determine what the study really says because of that.

Looking at some parts of the article, the question of waiting to have a first child seems relevant, but it isn't explained how or why.

In other places that talk about the study results, it seems the age at which the father conceives any child, not just his first child, is related to the risks. This would mean that the possibility that the sample is skewed by fathers with traits having children later because of those traits is not relevant.

I don't think you can tell from the article, but given the causal mechanism that is proposed, mutagenesis in sperm production, I suspect the issue of the dad's age is relevant to any child, not just the firstborn.

Yop, its in general for all kids. Damges to DNA dont suddenyl heal, only because the father having created a child with an woman. His testacles hardly would know, that they are now supposed to produce non-defective DNA again. ^^

As well that this is no new study, but rather old knowledge.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-male-bi ... 1490614.bc

I was 44 when I had my son, yes he is autistic, but so am I and his mother, so I don't think that counts.
All I know is if I waited much longer I would have been to old to raise a family of my own, it was a now or never thing.

For grins and giggles

Me: mom 39 dad 28
Husband: mom 23 dad 21 (DH is an Aspie, his mom is on the spectrum)
Our DD (me 39 hubby 44)

Dear daughter is an NT.

Theory doesn't work in our case.

I'm past my sell-by date.