Is there a link between developmentally repressive formative environments and ASC?

[SpecG]

Having been raised by religious fundamentalists and being diagnosed with ASC, I see a logical correlation between developmentally repressive environments like this and conditions such as ASC.

I wonder if any scientific studies have looked at this?

 

[Autistamatic]

Put simply:
No there isn't a link.

Autism is present from birth until death. It's not caused by the environment you grew up in nor can it be "cured". It is not possible to "become" autistic.

Without doubt, the environment we grow up in has a direct influence on our personalities, but it cannot make a person autistic. Autism is far more than a series of personality traits.

There have been countless studies over decades which support this. If you want to learn more I would strongly recommend getting hold of the book
"Neurotribes" by Steve Silberman. You'll learn a great deal about how autism presents and the story behind the science that led to it's identification.

 

[SpecG]

Put simply:
No there isn't a link.

Autism is present from birth until death. It's not caused by the environment you grew up in nor can it be "cured". It is not possible to "become" autistic.

Without doubt, the environment we grow up in has a direct influence on our personalities, but it cannot make a person autistic. Autism is far more than a series of personality traits.

There have been countless studies over decades which support this. If you want to learn more I would strongly recommend getting hold of the book
"Neurotribes" by Steve Silberman. You'll learn a great deal about how autism presents and the story behind the science that led to it's identification.

Eh?

I thought ASC is caused by genetic and environmental factors.

 

[SpecG]

Eh?

I thought ASC is caused by genetic and environmental factors.

Well AND/OR, not exclusively AND.

 

[Crossbreed]

I thought ASC is caused by genetic and environmental factors.

Autism is genetic. The more extreme cases (ASD2/3) are not more autistic. They just have more aggravated co-morbid conditions, which ARE the product of [physiological] environment. Absent said co-morbids, we are just an alternative neurology; functional, if in the minority.

The hypothesis of "developmentally repressive formative environments" was first proposed by Leo Kanner and has, since, been thoroughly disproven.

 

[SpecG]

Autism is genetic. The more extreme cases (ASD2/3) are not more autistic. They just have more aggravated co-morbid conditions, which ARE the product of [physiological] environment. Absent said co-morbids, we are just an alternative neurology; functional, if in the minority.

The hypothesis of "developmentally repressive formative environments" was first proposed by Leo Kanner and has, since, been thoroughly disproven.

Interesting.

My observations of my mums behaviours during my lifetime indicates she's likely on the spectrum but I assumed the fundamentalist environment I grew up in was an additional contributing factor as it impedes natural development through repression and when taken to the extreme can seem to cause Schizophrenic like behaviours.

 

[Autistamatic]

The key to your misconception is interpreting autism as "behaviours" or personality traits. Autism goes far, far deeper than that. Our minds work differently to the "neuro typical" minds of the majority because our brains are wired differently. We are born this way, not made.

True there are some conditions which overlap with autism in their presentation, but they are separate. We are not "damaged goods" who have been repressed or terrorised into being the way we are - we would be autistic wherever we grew up and whatever our backgrounds. We can be male, female, NB, trans, gay, straight, black, white, brown, Christian, Muslim, atheist, right wing, left wing, geniuses or intellectually disabled. The thing we all have in common is brains which function differently from the majority.

Our upbringing may shape our beliefs, our opinions and our personalities, but it doesn't create the differences in perception or neural processing that characterise autism.

 

[Crossbreed]

Plenty of autistics are Born-Again Christians and find it to be freeing rather than repressive.

 

[disconnected]

SpecG. I think some things such as stressors etc can trigger and aggravate symptoms.

 

[SpecG]

The key to your misconception is interpreting autism as "behaviours" or personality traits. Autism goes far, far deeper than that. Our minds work differently to the "neuro typical" minds of the majority because our brains are wired differently. We are born this way, not made.

True there are some conditions which overlap with autism in their presentation, but they are separate. We are not "damaged goods" who have been repressed or terrorised into being the way we are - we would be autistic wherever we grew up and whatever our backgrounds. We can be male, female, NB, trans, gay, straight, black, white, brown, Christian, Muslim, atheist, right wing, left wing, geniuses or intellectually disabled. The thing we all have in common is brains which function differently from the majority.

Our upbringing may shape our beliefs, our opinions and our personalities, but it doesn't create the differences in perception or neural processing that characterise autism.

There are common traits however, such as issues with socialisation and intensely focused interests or "obsessions".

I can think of about 7 or 8 off the top of my head related to my mum.

 

[SpecG]

Plenty of autistics are Born-Again Christians and find it to be freeing rather than repressive.

You misunderstand the nature of my question, which relates to children spending their formative years in heavily developmentally repressive environments such as those created by religion.

 

[Autistamatic]

There are common traits however, such as issues with socialisation and intensely focused interests or "obsessions".

I can think of about 7 or 8 off the top of my head related to my mum.

Of course there are common traits or there would be no diagnosis We don't all share the same traits, but we do all have traits from within a certain set of characteristics.

It's quite possible that your mum is on the spectrum since there is a high incidence of autism being inherited due to it's genetic nature. It's your genes you and your mum share rather than your background when it comes to the possibility of her being autistic.

 

[Pats]

I think, put simpler, what Autistamatic is trying to say is that you are born with the genes of autism or not, Religion has not changed your genetic make up.

 

[SpecG]

I think, put simpler, what Autistamatic is trying to say is that you are born with the genes of autism or not, Religion has not changed your genetic make up.

Epigenetics?

 

[Mia]

Epigenetics?

Epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence.[1] The Greek prefix epi- (ἐπι- "over, outside of, around") in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance.[2] Epigenetics most often denotes changes that affect gene activity and expression, but can also be used to describe any heritable phenotypic change. Such effects on cellular and physiological phenotypic traits may result from external or environmental factors, or be part of normal development. The standard definition of epigenetics requires these alterations to be heritable,[3][4] in the progeny of either cells or organisms. Welcome SpecG

 

[Pats]

from how I'm understanding it, it doesn't change your DNA makeup.

 

[SpecG]

Epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence.[1] The Greek prefix epi- (ἐπι- "over, outside of, around") in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance.[2] Epigenetics most often denotes changes that affect gene activity and expression, but can also be used to describe any heritable phenotypic change. Such effects on cellular and physiological phenotypic traits may result from external or environmental factors, or be part of normal development. The standard definition of epigenetics requires these alterations to be heritable,[3][4] in the progeny of either cells or organisms. Welcome SpecG

 

[SpecG]

lol.

Touche.

 

[Autistamatic]

Truth is @SpecG that there is no way for a person to switch from not being autistic to being autistic or vice versa. Every autistic person alive was born autistic. There have been endless studies to prove this.

Diet, religion, vaccines, pollution, nasty parents, demonic possession and 5G radiation have no role whatsoever to play.

Do get hold of that book I mentioned. There's an audio book of it too if you prefer. It's without doubt the finest introduction to understanding autism, it's history and the issues surrounding it so far (imo)

 

[Tom]

Proven 'Environmental' links in this case means parents, particularly mothers, exposure to various chemicals/substances. The studies I have seen linked increased rates of autism risk if parents lived near busy highways, near farmfields (presumed pesticides) and most recently exposure at any time in there life to DDT.