"Autism Clusters Found in California, Linked To Highly Educated Parents"

"California scientists have identified clusters of autism, largely in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, where children are twice as likely to have autism as children in surrounding areas. The 10 clusters were found mostly among children with highly educated parents, leading researchers to report that they probably can be explained by better access to medical experts who diagnose the disorder. Because of the strong link to education, the researchers from University of California at Davis said the new findings do not point to a localized source of pollution, such as an industry, near the clusters. “I suspect access to services plays the major role,” said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, senior author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Autism Research. They added, however, that there could be other reasons why higher-educated parents lead to more autism, including environmental exposures, such as chemicals from consumer products. "

Marla Cone reports for Environmental Health News January 5, 2009.

See Also:

"Study Reveals Autism Clusters in California" (Contra Costa Times)

"Study Turns up 10 Autism Clusters In California" (Reuters)