Autism research: infertility treatment link, no benefit of special diet

Autism researchers from around the world are meeting this week in Philadelphia at the annual conference of the International Society for Autism Research, and have presented studies investigating everything from the impact of an autistic child on the strength of his or her parents’ marriage, to the merits of popular gluten-free, casein-free diets for children with autism spectrum disorders and even a possible link between fertility treatments and increased risk for autism.

Children born to older mothers at higher risk for autism

Women who give birth after age 40 face a higher risk of having an autistic child, regardless of the father’s age, according to a comprehensive study of all births in the state of California in the 1990s. Researchers from the University of California, Davis, found that a woman who gave birth after age 40 was [...]