Working Paper: NBER ID: w28652
Authors: N. Meltem Daysal; Todd E. Elder; Judith K. Hellerstein; Scott A. Imberman; Chiara Orsini
Abstract: We use rich administrative data from Denmark to assess medical theories that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heritable condition transmitted through underlying parental skills. Positing that occupational choices reflect skills, we create two separate occupation-based skill measures and find that these measures are associated with ASD incidence among children, especially through the father’s side. We also assess the empirical relevance of assortative mating based on skill, concluding that intertemporal changes in assortative mating explain little of the increase in ASD diagnoses in recent decades.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I10; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Parental occupational skills (J24) | ASD diagnosis (C52) |
| Paternal skills related to systems and ordering (Y80) | ASD incidence (C46) |
| Paternal communication skills (J12) | ASD incidence (C46) |
| Paternal social skills (Z13) | ASD diagnoses (Y80) |
| Two extremely systemizing parents (J12) | ASD diagnosis (C52) |
| Assortative mating on parental skills (C92) | ASD diagnoses (Y80) |