Science - Heavy rainfall linked to autism in kids

LONDON: Children who live in areas which receive heavy rainfall are likely to develop autism, for a new study has found a link between wet weather
and the disorder.

An international team has claimed that rainfall could be an "environmental trigger" which makes already susceptible children develop the symptoms associated with autism, ranging from severe problems to a mild need for routine.

Researchers, led by Cornell University, have based their findings after looking at a group of children born in different parts of three American states -- California, Oregon and Washington -- between 1987 and 1999, British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

Subsequently, they compared the annual rainfall that the children would have been exposed to in the first two years of their life and found a link between higher levels of annual precipitation and autism.

In fact, according to the researchers, the rates of autism later diagnosed were positively related to the amount of precipitation these counties received from 1987 to 2001.

"Similarly, focusing on (counties within) Oregon and California, autism prevalence was higher for (those children who) experienced relatively heavy precipitation when they were younger than three years.

"As well as other explanations, there is also the possibility that precipitation is more directly involved. For example, there may be a chemical or chemicals in the upper atmosphere that are transported to the surface by rainfall lead researcher Michael Waldman said.

The findings are published in the latest issue of the 'Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine' journal.