Does advanced paternal age increase autism risk? Yes, studies show that fathers who are older at the time of conception face a higher chance of their children developing autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
Paternal age means the father’s age when his child is conceived. As men get older, changes happen in their sperm that can raise mutation rates. These mutations may affect brain development in the baby and link to autism. For example, research points to over 800 genes tied to ASD, and older dads pass on altered versions more often.
Scientists have found this pattern in human studies and animal tests. In people, kids of dads over 40 or 50 have a clear uptick in ASD cases compared to younger dads. One study noted advanced paternal age as the only factor consistently tied to autism across groups. Animal work shows sperm from older males carries tiny RNA changes that lead to anxiety-like behaviors in offspring, hinting at similar risks for human kids.
Epigenetics plays a role too. This is how genes turn on or off without changing the DNA code itself. Older paternal age tweaks these switches in sperm, affecting genes key to brain connections and growth. Genes like BEGAIN, OXTR, and GABRB2 show shifts linked to ASD when dads are older.
Both mom and dad age matter, but paternal age stands out because men can father kids later in life, and sperm mutations build up over time. Premature birth adds risk, but paternal age holds steady as a factor.
Sources:
https://www.wisdomlib.org/concept/paternal-age
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12694028/
https://www.droracle.ai/articles/594347/what-are-the-biological-factors-in-autism-spectrum-disorder
https://www.cureus.com/articles/411897-early-neurodevelopmental-milestones-in-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-a-retrospective-observational-study.pdf?email=
