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Clustering of development disorders?

Nomen Dubium

Active Member
V.I.P Member
I don't know if this is the case for anyone else, but I noticed a peculiarity about my neighbourhood recently. I live in an area of short-length terrace houses - five houses in each row, a row of five more opposite them, five further behind them, and so forth. In total there are forty houses. It's a quiet, tucked-away sort of place adjacent to a main railway line that sees heavy traffic. Within our little community, we have:

Me - Klinefelter Syndrome, probable ASD.
David (kid next door) - diagnosed Asperger's.
Kelly (woman in the opposite row) - Down's syndrome.
Unidentified kid (end house) - language delay (he makes noise but doesn't talk).
Mark (two rows away) - learning difficulties, language problems, possibly KS.

Is this sort of clustering common? I know all of these people pretty well (apart from the kid) and we've all been here decades-plus. The railway does chug out a lot of diesel fumes and I've heard this sort of pollution can cause fertility issues in parents, so could there be anything to this, beyond coincidence?
 
too many variables to find a reliable answer there :)

you will find a pattern because you're in the middle of it and know your neighbours. You'll automatically look for something to link everyone you mentioned.

would you have to start investigating hereditary conditions in those families if only to rule any conditions out?
 
The way you describe it, I'd be inclined to agree... but,

what about the other residents?
The other 35 in the complex?
Any notable conditions similar to the ones you've stated?

I don't know about you but I've yet to meet a perfect human specimen.
Genetic conditions are far more common than we imagine.

perhaps it's because you're not aware of any conditions experienced by the other 35 residents that 'your community' (the ones you are aware of) can appear as a cluster?

you'd need to collect much more evidence or data to prove a cluster relating to the diesel fumes.
 
There was one autism study that said parents living within so many feet of a busy highway was an increased risk factor of children developing autism. But I remember the number being small, like 5-7%. But it was only one study. The actual number could be higher.
 

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