Section 6.3: Hypothesis Test of Differences in Proportions Example 4. Autism and Maternal Antidepressant Use A recent study 41 compared 298 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to 1507 randomly...

Section 6.3: Hypothesis Test of Differences in Proportions

Example 4. Autism and Maternal Antidepressant Use

A recent study⁴¹ compared 298 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to 1507 randomly selected control children without the disorder. Of the children with autism, 20 of the mothers had used antidepressant drugs during the year before pregnancy or the first trimester of pregnancy. Of the control children, 50 of the mothers had used the drugs.

(a)Is there a significant association between prenatal exposure to antidepressant medicine and the risk of autism? Test whether the results are significant at the 5% level.

(b)Can we conclude that prenatal exposure to antidepressant medicine increases the risk of autism in the child? Why or why not?