Abstract
In a total population survey of childhood psychosis in the region of Göteborg, 20 children (2 in every 10,000) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for infantile autism formulated by Rutter. There was a male preponderance with 15 boys and 5 girls. Eighty-five percent of the mothers were older than average. Mean maternal age in the autistic sample was 30.7 years, compared with 26.0 years in the general population. The difference is statistically significant at the .1% level. There was a strong tendency toward increasing risk of autism in the child with increasing maternal age. The fathers too were much older than average.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allanen, Y. O., Arajärvi, T., & Viitamäki, R. O. Psychoses in childhood.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 1964, Suppl. 174.
Brask, B. H. The need for hospital beds for psychotic children: An analysis based on a prevalence investigation in the County of Århus.Ugeskrift for Laeger, 1967,129, 1559–1570.
Finnegan, J. A., & Quarrington, B. Pre-, peri- and neonatal factors and infantile autism.Journal of Child Psychology and Pscyhiatry, 1979,20(2), 119–128.
Gillberg, C., Rasmussen, P., & Wahlström, J. Long-term follow-up of 80 children born to mothers who had amniocentesis.Lancet, 1979,1, 1341.
Gillberg, C., Rasmussen, P., & Wahlström, J. Neuropsychiatric problems in children born to older mothers.Acta Paedopsychiatrica, 1980,44, in press.
Jayasekara, R., & Street, J. Parental age and parity in dyslexic boys.Journal of Biosocial Science, 1978,10, 255–261.
Lotter, V. Epidemiology of autistic conditions in young children. I. Prevalence.Social Psychiatry, 1966,1, 124–137.
Penrose, L. S. Maternal age in familial mongolism.Journal of Mental Sciences, 1951,97, 738.
Penrose, L. S. Mongolism.British Medical Bulletin, 1961,17, 184.
Rutter, M. Diagnosis and definition. In M. Rutter & E. Schopler (Eds.),Autism: A reappraisal of concepts and treatments. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1978.
Tizard, J., & Grad, J.The mentally handicapped and their families. London: Oxford University Press, 1961.
Treffert, D. A. epidemiology of infantile autism.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1970,22, 431–438.
Werry, J. S. Organic factors in childhood psychopathology. Childhood psychosis. In H. C. Quay & J. S. Werry (Eds.),Psychopathological disorders of childhood. New York: Wiley, 1972.
Wing, J. K. Diagnosis, epidemiology, aetiology. In J. K. Wing (Ed.),Early childhood autism. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1966.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The author is grateful to Mrs. Gun Jakobsson for helping with the data collection.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gillberg, C. Maternal age and infantile autism. J Autism Dev Disord 10, 293–297 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408288
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408288