An analysis of federal health survey data found that children in U.S. military families are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at higher rates than children in civilian families. Children’s Health Defense scientists, who conducted the study, said child exposure to toxins, either directly or through their parents, cannot be ignored and must be investigated.

Children in U.S. military families are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at higher rates than children in civilian families, according to a new preprint study by scientists at Children’s Health Defense (CHD).

CHD scientists Karl Jablonowski, Ph.D., and Brian Hooker, Ph.D., examined nearly eight years of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Survey of Children’s Health.

“The signal for autism in children of U.S. military service personnel has lain undetected in census bureau data for many years. The men and women who serve in our military deserve better,” Jablonowski told The Defender.

“Everyone who wears the uniform knows there is an individual risk to service,” he added. “These findings show there is also a previously unknown risk to the neurological health of their children. ‘The ultimate sacrifice’ has more than one meaning.”

The researchers analyzed more than 330,000 child health records collected between 2016 and 2023, focusing on two questions. Were the children covered by military insurance (Tricare or other military health plans)? And did their parents ever serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves or National Guard?

They also wanted to know if the parents were male or female, if they were active duty or in the reserves, and if either of those factors affected whether or not the children developed autism.

Among the 333,152 children included in the analysis, 3.19% of children covered by civilian insurance and 4.12% of children covered by Tricare or other military insurance had an ASD diagnosis.

After statistical adjustments, the data showed that children with military insurance were 30.73% more likely to have an ASD diagnosis compared with children covered by civilian insurance. In every year examined, the autism rate for Tricare-insured children was higher than that of their civilian counterparts.

They also found that children of mothers with any military service were 46.19% more likely to be diagnosed with ASD than children whose mothers did not serve in the military.

Children of fathers with any service history were 42.74% more likely to have an ASD diagnosis than children of fathers with no military history.

Among those children, the severity pattern was even more pronounced. Those children were 37.37% more likely to be diagnosed with mild ASD, 45.64% more likely to be diagnosed with moderate ASD and 82.73% more likely to be diagnosed with severe ASD than children whose fathers didn’t serve in the military.

For fathers, the authors documented a clear gradient: the likelihood of ASD was lowest among children of non-military fathers and highest among children whose fathers were deployed while on active duty.

Possible causes ‘must be investigated with all due haste’

The authors argued that because “toxic exposures play a large part in metabolic and neurologic dysfunction,” environmental or occupational exposures associated with military service may contribute to the higher rates of diagnosis.

Although the study does not directly measure such exposures, the authors highlighted several examples of known or suspected hazards within military settings.

Some bases, such as Camp Lejeune, have had drinking water contamination issues in the past.

Other possible toxic exposures include exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through firefighting foams; medical exposures unique to deployed environments; or other industrial and environmental toxins generally associated with military operations, and increased vaccination rates among military families.

They suggested that the stronger associations seen with moderate and severe ASD may indicate a “severity-response” pattern consistent with harmful exposures, though they emphasize that more precise data are required to evaluate this possibility.

The authors explained that there could be some bias in the data that affects the results, including: survey bias, where military parents whose children have an ASD diagnosis may be more inclined to complete the National Survey of Children’s Health; selection patterns, where service members may be more or less likely to adopt or care for children with disabilities; or diagnostic differences, where variations in healthcare access or evaluation practices between military and civilian systems may influence how often ASD is identified.

“Though there are several explanations for the results of this analysis, child exposure to toxins, either directly or through their parents, cannot be ignored and must be investigated with all due haste,” the authors wrote.

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