Using data from the National Weather Service on hurricanes and severe weather from 1980 to 1995 in Louisiana, together with records of the incidence of autism in children born in Louisiana during these periods, a team of researchers led by psychologist Dennis Kinney at Harvard Medical School found a strong association between the severity of hurricanes and the prevalence of children with autism born to women who were pregnant during these storms. Overall, the study published in 2008 found that the prevalence of autism disorder was about 5 children per 10,000 births, but the rate more than doubled in children born to women who had experienced the most severe hurricanes, jumping to 13 children with autism per 10,000 births in women who experienced the most severe storms.
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