Autism may be caused by older parents

Despite numerous causes associated with autism, including genetics and environmental factors, Dr Kristina Agius, a specialist in pervasive developmental disorders at the Speech Language Department, said parents who wait too long to have children could be contributing to the increasing prevalence of autism in children on an international scale.

“According to studies recently conducted in Denmark, the UK and the US, mothers under the age of 35 years who bear children of fathers who are older than 35 years could be a causal factor in the increased risk of Autism.

“The same was also found for fathers younger than the age of 35 years with mothers who are older than 35 years. Older maternal and paternal ages were also found to be jointly associated with autistic children,” Agius said.

During a seminar held this morning to give a clearer understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), several members from the Speech Language Department expressed their concerns about the increasing prevalence of autism in Malta while resources and services lagged in the ability to cater for this increase.

Senior speech language pathologist Dr Rita Micallef told MaltaToday that despite the interest in University courses to become Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs), more SLPs are needed to work in the Autism Spectrum Disorders Specialised Division (ASD SD) which was set up in 2008.

“There is a need for more SLPs. The government did recently issue a call for applications but we are still waiting for the outcome which is still being processed. The issue is not interest as there have been plenty of students entering each course with classes of 20 or more,” Micallef said.

The problem could be the lack of positions made available to graduates but an issue raised by a Learning Support Assistant during the seminar could mean the opportunities could be made more readily available in the near future.

“The LSA pointed out that there are statistics showing the increase in prevalence of autism in children which is true and it is quite alarming. But, she also said that the schools and staff are not prepared for further increase. I agree to an extent but there are several factors to be considered,” Micallef told MaltaToday.

Micallef explained that the statistics may be alarming but can be used to the advantage of those working in autism. “Being forewarned means we are forearmed to deliver the best service to the children. There definitely needs to be a change in mindset to collaborate but we also need to note that most of our schools were not built with disability in mind.”

Micallef said that while the new schools cater for disabilities, adaptations in both old and new schools could still be made to cater for autistic children. “Practices of schools need to be more structured and establish routines so these children can flourish. The staff needs to be trained in the area as well as behaviour management. Schools need to encompass a variety of services to appropriately deal with the condition.”

Apart from presenting a number of international studies on ASD, Agius also discussed new methods of diagnosis currently being researched and developed.

“New methods of diagnosis can allow autism to be identified much earlier on in the child’s life. Current studies include blood based tests after the discovery of a C3 protein found in the blood of children with ASD and not in those without.

“MRIs and brain messages could also determine brain differences after discovering differing characteristics between the brains of those with ASD and those without,” Agius said

Veronica Montanaro, AAC specialist within the Speech Language Department, presented several iPad applications which can be used to help stimulate communication with autistic children.

“There are thousands of applications available, some which are free and others which are quite expensive. There is always something new and the department meets with parents to discuss beneficial iPad apps which can be used with their children,” Montanaro said.

But, the problem is that all the applications are in English and not all are suitable for Malta according to Montanaro. “Although this is unfortunate, there are plenty of interactive apps which do not necessarily cause a language barrier.”

The department also launched a children’s book during the seminar which is intended to increase awareness and will eventually be published once a sponsor is found.

“We still do not have a sponsor. We didn’t go to the government because it was our own initiative. If we formalise it too much, it would take longer. We’ll get out sponsor. At the end of the day, we can’t be dependent on the government for everything at the end of the day,” Micallef told MaltaToday.

Daniela Vassallo, a SLP within the department said the book was intended to raise awareness of autism among children and emphasis the importance of friendship. “LSAs will be able to use the story to assist children’s peers in the classroom. The book will also be translated to Maltese and will be distributed for free in classrooms of all schools.”