sent a questionnaire to the 756 women who
had reported having a child with any of these
conditions, querying the affected child’s sex,
birth date, and whether they were adopted. In
addition, they were asked “What ASD diagnosis
has the child been given?” with autism,
Asperger syndrome, and PDD-NOS (PDD
not otherwise specified) as possible answers.
Women were also asked about other diagnoses
(such as attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder)
(response rate = 84%, n = 636). The Partners
Healthcare Institutional Review Board
approved this research. Completion and return
of questionnaires sent by U.S. mail constituted
implied consent.