| ||Minding Your Mind || | Autism and Older Fathers Last
reviewed and revised on June 17, 2011 By Michael Craig Miller,
M.D. Harvard Medical School A study published in the September,
2006 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry may give older
prospective fathers pause before plunging into biological
parenthood. The authors found a significant increase in the risk
of autism and similar disorders as fathers got older. | What Is
Autism? | Autism is a profoundly disabling disorder that starts
in early childhood. The key features are: - Abnormal social
development little or no eye contact, prefers to be alone -
Difficulty communicating impaired language ability, uses
gestures or pointing rather than words - Unusual behavior spins
objects, doesn't like being cuddled - Evidence of strong
abilities sometimes in non-verbal areas, such as math or music -
Older people with autism may have some ability to interact with
people, but about two-thirds are mentally retarded and most
cannot live on their own Unfortunately