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Recurrence rates for families with an ASD child

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What is the probability of having a future child with autism if you already have one or more? Families want to know. It helps preparation, planning, will hopefully improve early screening and supports. The Baby Siblings Research Consortium analyzed a bigger group of siblings compared to their 2011 numbers and found the recurrence pretty stable – 1 in 5 siblings will have an autism diagnosis compared to 1 in 36 in the general population. However, this number depends on a lot of things: Sex of infant, sex of sibling with an existing ASD diagnosis, number of autistic children in the family, race and socioeconomic status. Listen this week to hear all the numbers.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2023-065297/197777/Familial-Recurrence-of-Autism-Updates-From-the?autologincheck=redirected

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38973707

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The triple crown of autism research gatherings

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Three important meetings of researchers took place this week.  First, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, or IACC, met for the first time in over a year to discuss the coordination of private and federal efforts in autism research and advocacy.  Also, the Autism Sisters Project science committee met to figure out how they are going to find the female protective factor in autism, and what else the study can do when, and if, it is found.  Finally, a group of researchers who study autism in high risk families, before a formal diagnosis can be made, met to understand how the brains of people with autism are connected.  They also are working on new instruments to better diagnose both males and females with ASD.  Finally, in a press release from Tuesday, the NIH announced a partnership that will substantially improve autism research.  november17