Autism Update

Having babies close together may increase younger child's risk for autism.
USA Today (1/10, Szabo) reports that, according to a study published today in the journal Pediatrics, "having babies close together appears to increase the risk of autism...and the more closely babies are spaced, the higher the risk that the younger one will be diagnosed with autism."
The AP (1/10, Johnson) reports, "Children born less than two years after their siblings were considerably more likely to have an autism diagnosis compared to those born after at least three years." Notably, "the effect was found for parents of all ages, decreasing the chance that it was older parents and not the birth spacing behind the higher risk."
The Wall Street Journal (1/10, Dooren, subscription required), the Washington Post (1/10, Huget) "The Checkup" blog, the CNN (1/10, Wade) "The Chart" blog, and the Time (1/10, Park) "Healthland" blog also cover the story.
Op-ed: Women fare better when they delay having children. Author and professor Elizabeth Gregory wrote in a Los Angeles Times (1/9) op-ed, "According to data released in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, births for 2009 continued the downward trend begun in 2008, and 2010 data indicate more of the same." Gregory added, "Falling birthrates often breed anxiety: Who will do the work; who will pay the Social Security taxes of the future?" yet, "in reality, the declining baby rates -- prompted by the recession, many experts say -- actually bode well for women, their families and the nation." This has helped the decline in teenage births, and "allowed a 'trickle up' of women into policymaking roles in business and government."