Evaluation of Possible Risk Factors of Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorder

The causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are uncertain. This study investigates the possible risk factors of childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by analyzing the data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (2011 - 2012). State is included as a covariate because the data is stratified sampling based on each state. The diagnostics of autism cannot be reliable until age 2. So, the health information of the children with age from 2 to 17 years old is evaluated. Since the information of body mass index (BMI) of the children that are 2 to 5 years old is missing, two logistic regression models with and without BMI are evaluated in the study. Both of the models show similar results. Children’s sex, age, birth weight, BMI, condition of joints, bones, and muscle, condition of anxiety, and their living neighborhoods are found to be significantly associated with childhood ASD. In addition, health condition and stress of parents are significantly associated with childhood ASD.