New study takes on another myth about what causes autism: ‘Many mothers feel guilty’
NY Post
Despite decades of extensive research, the precise causes of autism are still a mystery.
About 1 in 36 US children have been diagnosed with autism, a complex group of developmental conditions characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulties with social interactions. Recent studies have suggested that maternal sickness during pregnancy increases the risk of autism in the child.
But new research from NYU Langone Health found “no convincing evidence” that autism can be caused by a mother contracting an infection, suffering depression or having other health troubles while pregnant.
Instead, the researchers said autism diagnoses can often be chalked up to genetics, exposure to pollution and access to healthcare.
“We saw no association between the individual [diagnostic codes on medical records] indicating maternal infection and [a child’s] autism diagnosis,” senior study author Magdalena Janecka told The Post, “however, we cannot say conclusively that maternal infection does not cause autism.”
Janecka’s team analyzed more than 1.1 million Danish pregnancies. Denmark’s registry data is better organized and more comprehensive than the US system, said Janecka, an associate professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
It was a flashback to NYC in the 1990s.
The killing of Iran’s tyrannical Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday in an unprecedented joint military attack by the US and Israel called Operation Epic Fury set off widespread celebrations from Iranians around the world — as President Trump said it would give them their “greatest chance” to “take back the country.” Meanwhile, in Iran, a lack of internet has made it impossible for Iranians to easily communicate daily conditions. Over a period of three days, with limited VPN connection, an eyewitness currently in Tehran — who, for her safety, is concealing her identity — shared her account of life under a country in the midst of battle with The Post’s Natasha Pearlman.
After exactly 120 years, the curtain has fallen on the Theater District institution Barbetta, with the iconic Italian restaurant having served its final course Friday night.