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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : October 8, 2014 10:26 AM IST
Children of parents who are in technical occupations are more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a more serious form of autism, a study suggested. 'Parent's occupation could be indicative of autistic-like behaviour and preferences and serve as another factor in a doctor's diagnosis of a child with suspected autism,' said Aisha S. Dickerson, a researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center in the US. For the study, parents were divided into those who had more non-people-oriented jobs (technical) or more people-oriented jobs (non-technical). (Read: 10 misconceptions about children with autism busted!)
Fathers who worked in engineering were two times as likely to have a child with ASD, the study said. Those who worked in finance were four times more likely and those who worked in health care occupations, six times, to have a child with the autism spectrum. There was no association to a mother's occupation. However, children who had both parents in technical fields were at a higher risk of having a more serious form of autism, the researchers noted. (Read: 6 historical geniuses with autism)
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder wherein the normal brain development is disrupted very early in life. Autistic spectrum disorder is an umbrella term to encompass all the neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Autism impacts communication, behaviour and social relationships and approximately 67 million people worldwide are estimated to be affected by it. It is the fastest growing global disorder. In this condition, cognition skills are hampered because of altered nerve cells, although the causative factor is unknown. A combination of genetics and the environment have been found to contribute to the development of autism. Symptoms differ from one child to the other. Autistic children have varying degrees of impairment in communication and socialization, and have various behavioural problems in the form of repetitive behaviour, restricted play interests and sometimes very unusual interests.
Autism can be diagnosed in many cases by 3 years of age based on the symptoms the child shows. There is no cure for autism. But early diagnosis and early intervention with therapies does improve the long term outcome in autism. The various therapies recommended are occupational therapy, communication therapy and behavioural therapy. Medications are used to improve some of the symptoms like irritability, hyperactivity and aggressive behaviour when they do not responded to other therapies. (Read: Treating autism therapies and treatments)
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With inputs from IANS
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