Autism's Hidden Trigger? 14 Times Higher Risk in Children
United States: Expert opinions suggest that autism develops from an unknown genetic abnormality.
Results show that myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) children face a 14 times higher risk of developing autistic spectrum disorder.
14x Higher Autism Risk
DM1 represents an inherited disorder that makes patients develop declining muscle strength along with extreme fatigue and mental complications.
Research shows the condition affects brain development processes during early life by modifying neural pathways that are responsible for autism characteristics, which consist of communication and behavior patterns and social interaction deficits.
Doctors discover new cause of autism: They've found children with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) are also 14 times more likely to develop autistic spectrum disorder.https://t.co/7iSBWC3Xs5
— Franky Tts (@FrankyTts) April 22, 2025
This discovery aims to reveal pieces of autism developmental origin mystery by revealing key information about biological factors.
Researchers have discovered that the mutated gene that triggers the DM1 condition might also contribute to autism development.
These researchers view their discoveries as evidence that autism origins become traceable through specific biological roots.
Through this discovery, scientists can now develop improved treatments to benefit patients who have both medical conditions and alternative therapies for gene restoration.
Presently, the team underlined that DM1 exists as a minimally prevalent medical condition compared to autism, but autism diagnosis is not a guarantee when someone presents with DM1.
The gene known as DMPK repeat suffers DNA strand damage through tandem repeat expansions (TREs), which prevents proper gene operation in DM1.
Genetic Clues Behind Autism’s Origins
Those with DM1 experience weakening muscles and spontaneous bodily movements along with other symptoms because of errors in DNA functions.
The malfunctioning genes generate proteins that disrupt alternative genes that control brain operations.
People with DM1 display physiological indications of autism spectrum disorder, such as repeated movements along with reduced motor coordination and sensory abnormalities because their genes show impairments, according to the research team.
Research indicates that DM1 affects 140,000 individuals, but autism follows with 7 million diagnosed patients in America.
