Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, which causes qualitative impairments in various aspects of the social development. Pregnancy onset at a higher age of the mother and a higher exposure...Show moreAutism is a pervasive developmental disorder, which causes qualitative impairments in various aspects of the social development. Pregnancy onset at a higher age of the mother and a higher exposure to prenatal testosterone can have a negative association with the social development of children. However, it’s unknown if children develop even more negatively when both factors are present. This study focuses on the impact of both factors independently and the interaction of both factors on the social development of normally developed children. The impact of the age of pregnancy onset on the social development of children, was measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale in 245 mothers (M = 30.34, SD = 4.75) and their children (M = 3.46, SD = 0.51). Exposure to prenatal testosterone was studied with the 2D:4D ratio in a subsample of 47 mothers and children (M = 3.46, SD = 0.22). First the age of pregnancy onset of the mother was studied and second the exposure to prenatal testosterone. Third, the impact of both factors on the social development was studied in 46 three year old normally developed children. Results showed no significant effects for the age of pregnancy onset and only a negative tendency for prenatal testosterone exposure. Thereby, results showed an interaction effect with both factors present on the social development of children. We concluded that the social development in three year old normally developed children was more impaired when both factors were present. These insights bring more understanding to the impact of various prenatal factors on the social development in normally developed children.Show less
