A new study led by Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge reveals that people who tend to be “systemizers” have a greater likelihood of having autistic children. He cites several studies in support of this thesis. In the first, it was shown that fathers and grandfathers of autistic children were twice as likely to work in a systematizing profession such as science or mathematics. Another showed that those with autistic children scored higher on questionnaires of autistic traits. In addition, brain scans of mothers with autistic children have shown brain activity more typically associated with males.
He theorizes that the rise in autism may be a consequence of greater opportunities for people with this personality type meet. As an example, he suggests that the increase in international travel for conferences and the higher participation of women in the workforce may bring them in more frequent contact. Link
[tags]studies,autism,children[/tags]