DNA behind up to 98% of cases, research shows
Autism is almost always caused by a child’s genes, a major study of British twins has found.
Scientists said that genes are responsible for as many as 98 per cent of cases – a higher proportion than previously thought.
The research, by King’s College London, also found the condition is highly inheritable.
Controversial research linking autism with the MMR jab has been widely discredited, but more recent concern has focused on the condition being fuelled by environmental factors such as pollution.
Mothers like Jenny McCarthy have been desperate to find something external to blame their autistic children on; preferably someone or something they can sue. Unfortunately, the fault most often lies in the parent's genes.
The team compared the behaviour of pairs of identical twins, who share all their DNA, and non-identical twins, who have only half their genes in common.
They found the condition was far more common in identical twins than in non-identical ones. The study, in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, concluded that DNA was behind between 74 to 98 per cent of autism cases.
If genes are key, the recent rise in cases could be explained by more people being correctly diagnosed with the condition.
The science is settled. Vaccinate your damn kids.
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