[kkarakk]

it says in the article that their second kid was autistic.

[philpem]

The root cause of which is -- at least as far as I'm aware -- currently unknown to medical science.

It could be a recessive trait (1 in 65536 doesn't mean "impossible")... but it could also be one of a near-infinite number of other possibilities.

[raverbashing]

Given that its causes are still not fully understood I think blaming it on a 3rd degree connection is a bit of a stretch

[spacehome]

I guess there’s a chance those facts are related.

[loseyourslinky]

Giving birth after 35 (in this case 37) is statistically more risky than offspring from first cousin's. A third cousin is much more distantly related than a first cousin, your first cousin has a pair of the same grandparents as you, your third cousin shares a pair of your Great-great-grandparents.