Psychology Professor Provides Clues about Autism Causality through Birth Order Study

More children are diagnosed with autism each year than juvenile diabetes, AIDS, and cancer combined. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism now affects 1 in 88 American children, prompting researchers to scramble for answers. Hoping to provide a significant piece to this complex puzzle, Loren Martin, Ph.D., APU professor and director of research for the Department of Graduate Psychology, published the results of his groundbreaking study linking birth order to autism severity in the November 30, 2012, issue of PLOS ONE, a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal.