What does sibling age gap have to do with autism?

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I heard that a large sibling age gap makes it more likely for the most recent kid to have asd.

My sisters are both 20 years older than me, and I have an asd.

I understand that if the mother was older when she had the baby, like my mom was with me, the kid is more likely to have autism, but what does specifically sibling age gap have to do with it?

"Researchers say parents should avoid having children too close together or too far apart to lower the risk of autism.

They find the best time to conceive is between two to five years after the previous child.

If a baby is conceived under a year after the last child, the risk of autism grows by 150 percent.

Waiting ten years between births puts the risk up to forty percent."

I couldn't find a paper.

Maybe it's related to environmental factors

I've only heard about the 40% risk.

Also what explanation did the researchers give for autism in an eldest child or an only child?

Hmm...that's strange. My kids (both autistic) are 2 years and 9 months apart in age- I had them when I was 25 and 28 years old (so I wasn't really young or really old). So that doesn't seem to apply here. I'm trying to think of anyone I know that that does apply to... and not getting a lot of hits. Actually, I'd say out of the families I know, it seems that in over 50% of families with ASD kids, their first kid had autism... probably just a coincidence though.
(edit for a typo)

I was born 3 years after my brother, and I have an ASD.

I know a lot of families with big or small age gaps between siblings and they are all NTs.

I don't see this as explaining families with kids with autism that I know.

I am the eldest child, too, and the only of the two of us that exhibits any symptoms.

What I have seen in the families that I know affected by autism is that in almost every family, more than one member is on the spectrum, whether a parent or another sibling.

My two brothers are 8 and 10 years older than me.....

Nobody else in my family has an ASD.

I'm five years apart from my brother and I have ASD. My cousins (both sides of the family) were both a year or two apart they are NT.

Guess that makes me the odd man out.

My grandma had 10 kids, not spaced very far apart and only her 2nd oldest son has an ASD.

I'm the first of only two children and the only one who has has an ASD.

This is complex.
My half brother was 12 years older than me. His younger brother is 6 years older, than me.

1.My brother had a professional life in a prominent position. He was very social and a brilliant speaker, a specialist in his field, and socially he did best among colleagues.
He was very blunt. He didn´t speak until 4, where he started off perfect. He had one close friend througout his life. I´d say he had some definite traits.

2.His younger brother,- also successful, is clearly an aspie. Well functioning and not dxéd, but the signs are there. He´s an odd, quirky, but very charming character. Didn´t finish university.

3.Then there is me. Didn´t finish university either. Dxéd and full of problems regarding jobs on normal conditions (I might be referred job via Specialisterne, or similar).

I guess, by coincidence, we come from two families with AS traits or comorbids.

The difference between me and my brother may just as well have to do with difference in age, sex and upbringing, and different personalities.

I'm the only child (AS) so I can't say but my autistic aunt is *about 15 years older than all of her siblings: 15* years older than her oldest sister which is NT and has 2 NT children(3 years apart), 20 years older than my dad that got traits bur not enough to be diagnosed, 21* years older than her 2nd brother - dead already but probably NT and 25* years older than her youngest sister(NT) that got 2 daughters of which one I suspect might have mild AS (2nd child, 2 years apart).

* I am not 100% sure about exact ages of my aunts and uncle's, all I know for sure is that autistic aunt is 20 years older than my father and he got a few years older sister, slightly younger dead brother and a few years younger sister.

No pattern here. Me and my aunt might be oldest childs with huge age gap (me - no siblings, she - nearest sibling 15 years younger) but my suspected cousin is 2nd child with a small age gap.

Btw, my youngest aunts husband seem to have AS as well so their daughter got the genes from both family sides but she does better than me when I was her age. Thats probably because she got an 2 years older NT sister that she might learn from. I had noone like that, neither my autistic aunt had.