One of the more plausible environmental links to autism is age of the father . Over a man ’ s lifetime , genetic changes accrue in the cells that give rise to sperm , shown here in a scanning electron microscopy image . Among them are alterations in genes that can raise the risk of autism .
CREDIT : DENNIS KUNKEL MICROSCOPY / SCIENCE SOURCE
lifespan and studies of autismlike behavior in animal models . And as they look at these associations , they often make discoveries that are relevant beyond autism — ones that have now been extended to studies of
schizophrenia ,
aging and even
human evolution . The link between autism and having an older father , for example , has led to studies examining how changes in sperm over time affect brain development in later generations .
vaccines . “ That ’ s pretty conclusively been shown to have no association with autism ,” she says , noting the numerous large epidemiological studies that have reached that conclusion .
The settled vaccine question is a small point of clarity in an otherwise blurred landscape of autism cause-and-effect research . Every new finding seems to open up yet more pathways , some leading toward autism , and some toward broader revelations about the brain and how hormones , the immune system , the air we breathe and more add up to make their mark on neural development . The network of genetic and environmental factors that converge and diverge to produce autism may reflect not only the multiplicity of ways of being autistic — but also , more broadly , of being human .
Emily Willingham ’ s work has appeared in Forbes , the San Francisco Chronicle , the Washington Post , and Undark , among others . She is the author of The Informed Parent : A Science-Based Guide to Your Child ' s First Four Years ( 2016 ), co-written with Tara Haelle .
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