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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders pp 1–14Cite as

Environmental Risk Factors for Autism

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Definition

Environmental risk factors for autism may be broadly defined as any nongenetic contributor to the risk of autism and include reproductive-, dietary-, chemical-, and demographic-related exposures.

Historical Background and Evidence for a Role of the Environment

Environmental factors have been explored as contributing to the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) since the condition was first characterized in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, who stated that children with autism had “very few really warm-hearted fathers and mothers” (Kanner 1943). Soon after, the term “refrigerator mother” was coined, which blamed the child’s behaviors on emotionless parenting (Bettelheim 1972). This explanation has since been disproved, and though the focus shifted from environmental factors for some time, research from other areas has clearly demonstrated a role of the environment in ASD.

Early twin studies in the 1970s and 1980s demonstrating non-concordance of diagnosis in monozygotic twins...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Leny Mathew, Elizabeth Kauffman & Kristen Lyall

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences and the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Rebecca Schmidt & Irva Hertz-Picciotto

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  1. Leny Mathew
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  2. Elizabeth Kauffman
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  3. Rebecca Schmidt
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  4. Irva Hertz-Picciotto
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  5. Kristen Lyall
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Correspondence to Leny Mathew , Elizabeth Kauffman or Kristen Lyall .

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  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Mathew, L., Kauffman, E., Schmidt, R., Hertz-Picciotto, I., Lyall, K. (2018). Environmental Risk Factors for Autism. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102054-2

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  1. Latest

    Environmental Risk Factors for Autism
    Published:
    02 August 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102054-2

  2. Original

    Environmental Risk Factors for Autism
    Published:
    05 June 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102054-1

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