Expert: Trey McGowan - 3/17/2009

Question
Hi Trey, I have a grandson, diagnosed with autism. Have there been any studies relating autism with working moms? I know this is not politically correct but with the boom in autism and the boom in working moms maybe there is a link. Just Wondering.  Grandma

Answer
Hello there, Marie!

In the past 15 years or so, there has been a boom of working mothers. There has also been a boom of terrorism, homosexuality, Dell, environmentalism, MMORPGs, Steve Irwin, pomegranate juice, anime, the Atkin's diet, reality shows, AIDS, Google, Angus beef burgers, crime dramas, designer drugs, 'bad' cholesterol, Texas Holdem, and online Q&A.

In short, there are a lot of things in the time that autism has boomed that have never been, or may well have been depending on the list, contributed to the rise of this developmental disorder. It is difficult to understand how one thing can rise at such a steep rate, and *not* have a single, defining cause. In addition, it is all too easy for people to villainize something that they already frown upon. Thus, when autism crops up in a situation alongside something disliked, it tends to get pointed out as the culprit.

However, studies indicate that there is no link at all between most of these 'booms' and the increase of ASDs.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AutismRisk/story?id=5386983

The main reason this link has been brought up in the past is because of the thought that the working mother is not 'bonding' with their child, and thus the child is withdrawing from their parents. However, even children whose parents have never worked and would never work will withdraw into the autistic fugues, and likewise, children with working parents can and will develop utterly normally.

In short, lack of attachment to the parent does not cause autism. Autism causes lack of attachment in the parent.

Hopefully this has helped answer your question! Further questions. comments, feedback, and follow-ups are always welcome here!

Trey