Professor Michael Waldman found the positive link by going over daily records of precipitation and rates of autism for children born in California, Oregon, and Washington between 1987 and 1999.
Dr. Waldman believes that rainy weather may be responsible in one of the following ways: The weather may somehow affect a baby's prenatal development; keeping infants and toddlers indoors may affect their breathing or brain development; or the continued rain my result in a Vitamin D deficiency.
Some experts on autism expressed skepticism about Dr. Waldman's conclusions. Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, for example, noted that autism is increasing in all areas, not just rainy ones.
"In recent years autism has been blamed on everything from discarded iPod batteries to mercury from Chinese power stations, from antenatal ultrasound scans to postnatal cord clamping, and from diet to vaccines," he said.
Labels: climate, rain, weather
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
