Autism and half siblings question

[SleepDeprivedGrumpyBum]

I'm not expecting a definate answer here, as even with my limited exposure to autism i am aware that there doesn't really seem like there is any clear cut defining factor that autism can be pinned down to. However, any advice or links people have would be greatly received.

background: My dp has a son from a previous relationship, he is quite severly autistic and as a result doesn't speak. Dp and i have just had a baby boy, and throughout the pregnancy we wondered about the chances of our LO also being autistic.

from what i've read it seems that the liklihood of my dp and his ex having another autistic child would be increased, however i cant find any infomation with regards to how this liklihood is affected with a different partner.

Does anyone have any ideas?

many thanks

[silverfrog]

I can't tell you officially - you could try to get an appt with the genetics dept of your local hospital to talk through the liklihood - they takr family case histories and stuff as well, afaik.

in our case, my step-daughter has AS, my dd1 has ASD. BUT my brother is also probably HFA (I only say probably as he has no official dx). So maybe dd1 is ASd due to family history on either side, maybe it is unrelated and just a coincidence.

There are so many routes to autism, and so many different ways someone could be affected, that it si very hard to say anything for certain at this point.

[RockinSockBunnies]

I'm in the same situation. DP's son is autistic and I am anxious about the odds of having an ASD child in the future.

My DD (from previous relationship) is neurotypical, but I really don't know, statistically, what the risks would be were DP and I to have a child together.

Sorry that I can't offer anything useful in the way of advice. Congratulations on the birth of your son.

[5ElvesMooningSanta]

I've no idea about half siblings, but hen Iw as pregnant with DS3 I was told that there was a 1 in 4 chance he would be autistic as I already had an autistic child.

So far there are no signs of any ASD traits, and he is 2.

Congratulations on your new son. Try not to dwell on the possibility and enjoy him.

[marriednotmulled]

Hiya. My DCs have different fathers.
DD is NT, DS has ASD.

CAMHS arranged blood tests which showed that DS has an extra arm on one chromosome (16 I think) which is linked to autism. Have had tests on my blood which came back negative. Exp's tests keep getting lost but as his sister's son is autistic, and his own behaviour mirrors our DS's, he accepts that it's almost certain that he has that gene too.

His 2nd DC with his wife is due soon, their DD seems ok but I think they may get tests done if they have a boy this time as they are apparently more likely to have it.

CAMHS should be able to refer you given the history you mention, but it may be worth your DP asking for tests of his own first.

[TheArsenicCupCake]

Another that can't give a deffinate answer.

I can tell you about my family ( not sure if this will help)
ds1 and 2 are from my previous marriage.. There are clear.. Yet undiagnosed issues with asd in their dad, his brother and the GM. There is also dyslexia in the family.

Ds1 has a few quirks but is NT ( looks very much like my side of the family)
DS2 is on the spectrum ( looks very much like his dads side of the family).

Then I had Dd with now DH.. She againt has a few sensory quirks but nothing else.

On my side of our family.. We have synthisasia ( sp).. Dyslexia, hypermobility and a few sensory issues... It is likey my father maybe on the spectrum.

I can see what the dc's have inherited from myside.. And I wonder if it was just the genetic mix between ex and I that was enough to cause asd in ds2.
Both boys are gifted in the sciences and maths...all three dc's have varying degrees og hypermobility.. The
boys are both dyslexic.

Take what you will from all that.. But I honestly think the is a deffinate genitic link ..

Btw.. The genetics peeps and the peads love our family history!

[SleepDeprivedGrumpyBum]

Thanks for all the responses. Sorry but im not up to date on the abbreviations, (this is my first post in special needs page) what does NT stand for? and CAMHS?

Interesting about the genetics, especially the chromosone testing; i'll definately mention it to DP and see what he thinks about getting a referral for a geneticist (we were supposedly referred when i was pregnant, but nothing came of it, then we moved house and medical trusts so its all been a bit up in the air)

I've personally always thought (and i know i have no real evidence for this) that it was an unfortunate combination or blending of something in DP and his ex that may have resulted in ASD. I guess the problem is that we have no way of knowing what the combination is.

[RockinSockBunnies]

NT = neurotypical
CAMHS = Child and Adolescent mental health services

[Tgreen189]

Hi. I am in the same position as you were, (my husband has a son with ASD and we are having a child together). Did your child end up getting a diagnosis or did he end up being NT? I’ve read there’s a very small % for half siblings. Thanks!