Maternal‑age as autism policy lever

A pooled analysis of 16 studies (25,687 autism spectrum disorder cases) shows autism risk rises monotonically with maternal age, with adjusted relative risk ~1.3 for mothers ≥35 versus those 25–29, and reduced risk for mothers under 20. The association remained after controlling for paternal age and other confounders, and showed dose‑response and variation by sex ratio and year of diagnosis. — As average parental ages rise in many countries, acknowledging maternal‑age effects shifts how policymakers and health systems think about prevention messaging, prenatal care priorities, autism service planning, and research funding for mechanistic studies.