title: Brief report: Asperger's syndrome and sibling birth order.
abstract: Prior investigations suggest that birth order position may be associated with the risk for developing a pervasive developmental disorder. This retrospective chart review examined the birth order status of 29 psychiatrically-referred patients with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Eighty-six percent of the subjects were first born. The finding was statistically significant when compared to an expected random distribution of AS subjects χ(2) (1, N = 29) = 9.18, p < 0.01. The reasons for such an association are unclear though birth stoppage, obstetric complications, and immunological mechanisms may play a role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Karmen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauman
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrone
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: Jessaca
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spybrook
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D001722:Birth Order; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D035781:Siblings; D055815:Young Adult