Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social communication and repetitive or stereotypic behaviours that begin before 3 years of age. ASD results from the interplay of genetic and environmental influences during critical developmental windows. In Canada, ASD prevalence and trends are poorly defined. Recent studies have examined air pollution as a risk factor for the development of ASD. Notably, our study reduces exposure misclassification by developing high spatial and temporal resolution models of air pollution. We hypothesize that mothers of children who were diagnosed with ASD had significantly higher exposures to NO2, SO2, PM2.5 and CO, and were in closer proximity to large roadway traffic during pregnancy than mothers of children without ASD. We will quantify spatiotemporal trends from 2004–2014 of both air pollution and children in Metro Vancouver who were diagnosed with ASD using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, the gold standard diagnostic test. We will link a population-based cohort of all births in BC from 2000–2014 (cases > 10,000) with air pollution data to calculate mean residential exposure estimates of NO2 SO2, PM2 and CO, and investigate associations between increases in gestational exposures to these air pollutants with the development of ASD. This study will be one of the largest in the world, one of the few with a representative population of children diagnosed with ASD, and the first in Canada to study ASD and air pollution. If airborne pollutants are risk factors for developing ASD, the results of this study will help guide the development of prevention strategies to improve air quality and reduce the adverse effects of air pollution on human health.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
