Autism severity linked to genetics, ultrasound, data analysis finds, by Science Daily.

For children with autism and a class of genetic disorders, exposure to diagnostic ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy is linked to increased autism severity, according to a new study. …

Mourad said their results are about the first trimester of pregnancy. Data looking at the effect of ultrasound on the second and third trimester showed no link, he said. …

The data was derived from 2,644 families among 12 research sites across the United States.

“There has been a real struggle in why there are so many kids with autism,” said lead author Sara Webb, UW Medicine researcher in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “Where does this disorder develop from? How do kids get autism? And the second question is why are kids with autism so different from each other? This study really looks at the second question. Within kids with autism, what are some of the factors that may result in a child having a good outcome or higher IQ or better language or less severity versus a child who maybe takes more of a hit and continues to struggle throughout their lifespan?”

hat-tip Joanne