Autism in the Somali community

Bari

Bari

Garabsare
JamalFarah said:
People are often looking for a silver bullet and a single core reason, but in the end, there are many different confounding variables.

While Vitamin D is frequently mentioned as a relatively good explanation for why certain mental conditions might be more common in the diaspora, I also want to highlight another point. Somalis tend to have larger family sizes and often continue having children well into the later stages of their lives. This is true for both men and women.

"...A 2011 study in Molecular Psychiatry of over 5.7 million children in five countries found a link between older fathers and autism.
The researchers showed that the chance of having a child with autism was 28 percent higher among fathers who were in their 40s, and 66 percent higher for men in their 50s, compared to fathers younger than 30."

"...The link between a motherโ€™s age and autism is more complex: Women seem to be at increased odds of having a child with autism both when they are much older and much younger (reference to teen mothers) than average, according to some studies. Nailing down why either parentโ€™s age influences autism risk has proved difficult, however."

"The researchers found that mothers over 40 had a 51 percent higher risk of having a child with autism than mothers 25 to 29, and a 77 percent higher risk than mothers under 25."

To be fair, this is anecdotal, but first-generation Somali men often donโ€™t "retire" from fatherhood and may continue having children into their sixties if given the chance. There's a stereotype of the Somali uncle returning to the homeland and marrying a woman half his age to continue having children after his wife in the West can no longer do so for a reason.

The tribal mindset that "more is better" still lingers for some, with the belief that the pinnacle of a man's success is to have many descendants who proudly carry his name.

We know from data that second-generation immigrants, regardless of background, tend to have fertility rates similar to the native population. They typically have children from their mid-twenties to early forties and then stop, opting for smaller family sizes with a focus on quality over quantity.

It's also clear that older and younger women giving birth significantly increases the risk of autism. However, we can question how much of the decision to have children later or early in life is due to a personal desire to continue giving birth, versus fulfilling the wishes of their husbands.

When you factor in all the variables, older parents, vitamin D deficiency, and marrying within your own sub-sub-sub-clan you're essentially stacking the odds against your child.
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Odeyaal back home have kids in their 60s and 70s ect, yet their kids tend to be okay.Even the ones in the west usually move back home to have their second family. We are seeing an unprecedented rise in the west, im leaning more towards lack of vitmain D, inbreeding and the age of the woman as being the biggest factors.
 
R

Rayaale

Bari said:
Odeyaal back home have kids in their 60s and 70s ect, yet their kids tend to be okay.Even the ones in the west usually move back home to have their second family. We are seeing an unprecedented rise in the west, im leaning more towards lack of vitmain D, inbreeding and the age of the woman as being the biggest factors.
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Inbreeding like cousin marriages
 
R

Rayaale

Bari said:
Even generational inter sub clan marriages, its best to marry outside your geographical region, it basically guarantees a couple of hundread years of seperation.
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Itโ€™s gotten harder ever since the civil war clans no longer trust each other
 
NordicSomali

NordicSomali

VIP
I thought it was American harmful food additives like high fructose corn syrup but you also find the same autism prevalence in Europe with a much higher regulation and prohibition of those food additives. Genetic? If so, what can you do? Maybe not marrying other Somalis to avoid the risk?
 
Unbothered

Unbothered

Itโ€™s genetic triggered by environmental factors such as lack of sunlight, vitamin D, stress and processed food . Couples should take genetic and std test before tying the knot .
 
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