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Original poster

How common is autism among close family and friends?

262 replies

momtoboys · 16/07/2026 16:41

Posting here for traffic. It has long seemed to me that very frequently a post on mumsnet includes mentions of SEN, autism, etc. Posters mention children having these traits, the poster has these traits, a friend or a partner. It appears that it is way more prevalent that I could have imagined.

How many of us have a person who is close to them (either family of friend) that has been diagnosed with autism? Thanks!

OP posts:
2026newname · 16/07/2026 16:51

My son is diagnosed, and I suspect his dad and siblings are, but they’ll never find out.

Poppycorn123 · 16/07/2026 16:51

My 3 year old ds is showing mild signs but not yet diagnosed. He runs off, finds it hard to focus and has his own little ways. We were told he might grow out of it all but if not he will be assessed in the next couple of years.

cupfinalchaos · 16/07/2026 16:50

But when do autistic traits become autism? My dad has so many very obvious traits, so did so many people in his family who have died but were not assessed.

Cairneyes · 16/07/2026 16:50

My son and my nephew, also my other nephew’s son.

Hollowvoice · 16/07/2026 16:50

Both DC and a niece diagnosed ASD, and my best friend.
Strongly suspect it in other family members. And some friends.

Edited to add also a few of the DCs friends are diagnosed. We joke that they flock together

TheWildZebra · 16/07/2026 16:49

ChaosIsTwix · 16/07/2026 16:45

About 1% of the population is autistic. I'm not ashamed to say I'm autistic and my children are autistic. My mother however, would never have admitted that when I was a child. Attitudes change and so more people are happy to say this is me.

Is that diagnosed? I think it’s greater than that… I definitely have family members (undiagnosed) who would probably pass as autistic, but generational differences mean they haven’t been diagnosed.

Octavia64 · 16/07/2026 16:49

My daughter, a nephew, a cousin

BillieWiper · 16/07/2026 16:48

My dad was probably ND, but it wasn't known back then. My mum's cousin was quite obviously autistic in the more traditional sense if you can call it that. But again not diagnosed. He was just branded 'a bit different'.

So I think a lot of people would be had ND family in like 1920s-80s and before and not be able to 'label' it.

Back in the day they didn't know anything much. Even when I was a kid ADHD didn't exist. It seemed to emerge in the 90s and then only ever for 'naughty boys'.

I'm ADD and I have a cousin who's dyslexic. I think another couple of my cousins kids are ND too.

I think it is genetic to an extent.

Justploddingonandon · 16/07/2026 16:47

I'm autistic, my DD is autistic, my Dad clearly was (although diagnosis wasn't really a thing when he was young). Given autism is at least partly genetic this isn't surprising.
A lot of my friends are too, but again I generally find ND people a lot easier to get on with.

JLou08 · 16/07/2026 16:47

I have a few. There's a genetic link and autistic people gravitate towards each other so I'd guess many know none and some know many.
I'm autistic, my DS is, my brother is, my cousin is waiting for assessment. 2 of my friends have autistic children, I have a friend whose brother is autistic. Them friends also have traits but haven't been assessed.

ChaosIsTwix · 16/07/2026 16:45

About 1% of the population is autistic. I'm not ashamed to say I'm autistic and my children are autistic. My mother however, would never have admitted that when I was a child. Attitudes change and so more people are happy to say this is me.

hahabahbag · 16/07/2026 16:45

My dd, diagnosed 25 years ago aged 2 (so before the current expanded guidelines came into place). More recently on dh’s side (not my dcs dad) his nephew and niece (not siblings) asd, his dd and another niece adhd, my other dd adhd.