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Is Autism genetic?

Varzar

Varzar

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
Something I've never been able to find a clear answer to online.. All my searching has resulted in a big "maybe"...

I ask because in a couple days I'll be visiting my parents for xmas. I'm thinking I'll tell them about my revelation about myself being AS. I have a strong suspicion (like >80%) that my Dad is as well. We are VERY alike. Including some of the relationship issues they have are the same as those I have had with my wife. I'm thinking it might help my Mom to understand me AND him. It has certainly helped my wife understand me better..

Either way.. I'm a little nervous.. Even though I don't think I need to be. Should be an interesting xmas either way.. :P
 
No one knows the exact cause - probably isn't one specific cause - I think that these days, it is generally considered to be genetic, or epigenetic. Certainly it does seem to run in families. I don't have anyone in my immediate family who has it (my step brother probably does, but that is a coincidence as we are not blood relatives). The psychiatrist who diagnosed me said that he thought that in my case, it was due to my mother having treatment for leukemia when she was pregnant with me. It may well be epigenetic - the genes are present, but aren't expressed until there is some sort of trigger in the environment, which would explain why in some families, only one person may have it, whereas others may have two or three members.
 
from my reading there does seem to be a genetic component.
This is borne out by my experience in my family, both up and down the generations.

When I told my children (2 of them, both in their 30s) I wrote them a letter and included some articles on AS which helped them understand. Interestingly one of them, a GP, told me she already knew - having come to that conclusion when she was being taught about this at medical school. The other, a speech and language teacher had a good idea, since she had also learnt about this in her training. So perhaps my letter was more about me coming to terms with this than anything.

However, all the best for you and your sharing
 
Varzar said:
Something I've never been able to find a clear answer to online.. All my searching has resulted in a big "maybe"...

Either way.. I'm a little nervous.. Even though I don't think I need to be. Should be an interesting xmas either way.. :p
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I'd go easy on suggesting that someone else is autistic. Let them come to that conclusion on their own. It's big enough just tell them that you are.

Of course, you could always use Socratic questioning, like "Did you ever experience anything like that?" But again, let them draw their own conclusions.
 
GadAbout said:
I'd go easy on suggesting that someone else is autistic. Let them come to that conclusion on their own. It's big enough just tell them that you are.

Of course, you could always use Socratic questioning, like "Did you ever experience anything like that?" But again, let them draw their own conclusions.
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Yeah, I wasn't going to make that suggestion outright... Will definitely let them draw their own conclusions.. But my Dad and I are similar enough that I'm pretty sure it's going to be very obvious when I start describing "what Aspergers is" that it applies to both of us. Particularly to my mom...
A few weeks ago I hinted on a phone call by commenting, "I don't feel the same way as other people". There was a long pause from my mom.. I didn't realize this at the time, but found out later from my wife that my dad has told my mom that exact same thing before..
 
I read a summary of recent research on this a couple of years ago, and the different research projects had led to a concensus that there's an approximate 50% genetic component currently known of, but think there was about 70 relevant genes involved so not many easy answers yet as to what causes what.

They've been doing research on families with parents and children who are diagnosed, looking at how the connections work. Lots of research ongoing, but there are certainly plenty of indications of a substantial genetic component, and what @Crossbreed says about this maybe applying to ASD1 with additional causes to change an ASD1 brain to ASD 2/3 seems a fair theory supported by some research.

I can see it in my family, for sure on my dad's side. Yes, it may not be helpful for this to be highlighted to parents, unless you think they'll handle it well, it depends how they understand what's being said. If it's seen as a negative only, this is unhelpful and problematic.
 
It is believed to have multiple causes. Some examples are advanced age of father, mother's exposure to car emission pollution or pesticides have shown statistical increases in the chances of a child having autism. Of those I mentioned pesticides so far has the strongest measured influence. The mechanism is thought to be these things create certain genetic mutations in the preborn child that cause developmental differences in the brain of the child. Once you have this mutation you can pass it on and the hereditary link has been shown to be statistically very strong. Or in other words if you have it there is a significant chance you can pass it on. But I haven't seen any concrete figure on it, to share.

But I wouldn't say the story is certain yet, as there still remain many questions on the exact differences and mechanisms. Numerous genetic mutations have been flagged as being associated with autism. But it isn't a case where an autistic person has them all. Some have this or that one and others different ones. In other words I believe its still a hazy picture, half fact-half theory.
 
hi ,my dad has passed on but when i think about him he just seemed to be in a world of his own. maybe he was i dont know. maybe it was passed down to me. my mom is also gone. i wonder if they were both hiding the fact i was autistic but i dont think so. my dad was in WW2 and he used to tell me his hearing was bad because of all the shooting during the time. maybe thats why he was so quiet.
 
I'm 99% certain my dad is autistic, I know I am autistic and my son is autistic. This leads me to believe there is indeed a genetic factor in many cases of autism.
 
The way I personally view autism is that it is the brain's way of adapting to environments that humans have been repetitively asked to hyper focus on or multitask through. Mother Nature doesn't always get these adaptations correct, obviously. Humans have been asked to be farther removed from the "organics" of life (multitasking and focusing on survival and thriving from the Earth) and have been forced into juggling and focusing on the "inorganic" (assembly line jobs, sustained focus on one task, over communication, over complication of life skills required to "survive" in society) As someone who is not "neurotypical," I sympathize with anyone who struggles with focus, productivity and with sensory issues. I see many of my own hang-ups existing in my own children. It is debatable on whether it is a learned behavior from me or genetically passed on to them. Either way, we've been tasked with being different in order to challenge that status quo... Be it through destiny or design.
 
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