The new study released today by the UC Davis Mind Institute increases the risk rate of having a second child with autism to be nearly 19 percent. Previously estimated at between 3 and 10 percent, the Mind Institute study is the largest conducted to date and is the most geographically diverse-including families across the United States and Canada. 

“This study provides us with a great source of information for families and their medical/therapy teams,” notes Sheryl Young, CEO of AbilityPath.org.  “Parents always ask about the risk of having another child with autism and now we have new data to direct them to. For pediatricians and therapists this should kick off a series of conversations and careful milestone monitoring for the newest addition to the family.”   

The other statistic of this report is that little over 80% of families go on to have a second child without autism.  “Having another child is a very personal decision for any family,” confirms Grace Gengeoux, Ph.D., BCBA-D at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. “Many families who have one child with ASD go on to have typically developing children after and for those families who have a second child with ASD are often comforted knowing they can identify the concerns very early and seek early intervention.”

AbilityPath and Community Gatepath, the nonprofit sponsoring this site, will be featured on the evening news on KTVU Fox 2 in response to the new study.

Read full press release from UC Davis 

Join the AbilityPath Autism Group