ASD / Autism - What do you think caused it in your family?

[Wanderingthoughts]

Inspired by my own experience and talking to two friends who's children are autistic.

My DS, 8, diagnosed ASD (formerly Aspergers, geeky-intelligent type). I think comes from his father (my ex). Their ASD traits are very similar and I think his father would definitely be diagnosed. DS also has ADHD which I think comes from me (I have lots of traits) and this is his primary diagnosis and much more prominent. So in our case, I lean towards genetic, although I was anaemic during pregnancy, had a low lying placenta and DS was born via induction and ventouse.

I'm pregnant with DC2, this time a girl, and my current DP has no ASD traits, and none I can see from anyone in his family. I am, however, anaemic again and this time facing having an iron infusion as the tablets haven't worked. I've read some research that low iron in pregnancy can be a potential cause of autism.

My friend has a 3 children, only one (DS2) is diagnosed Autistic. He has a more classical presentation, non-verbal, developmentally delayed and requiring a special school. She feels his autism comes from a long and traumatic birth, and she has no family history of ASD.

Ditto for another friend, she also has 3 children, and her DS1 is both Autistic and has learning difficulties. Her other two children are unaffected. Similar to my first friend, she thinks the cause of his autism was a long and difficult labour and birth trauma. No family history of ASD, although I can see some ASD traits in her DH!

What do you think the cause, if any, in your personal family experience?

@MrsLilaAmes

Wasn't that due to someone not understanding the difference between correlation and causation? People started to suspect their DC had autism/it was diagnosed following the vaccine was just because both tend to happen at the same age, not that one causes the other.

How do you know it was the birth?

You can start with a bit of Googling on the topic of epigenetics though. It’s a very broad subject but fascinating, nonetheless.

It's not your fault in any way.

It's genetic.

Good point. The 'everyone diagnosing themselves' comments just shut down people exploring what could, in fact, be autism.

Many, many people have just been called 'quirky' or 'weird' (or 'geeky' as many in this post have said) but have struggled through life grinning and bearing it because they've gone undiagnosed

@BarbaraofSeville

That was down to a fraudulent doctor since disgraced and struck off.

Genetics and gene expression are huge topics. Anything said here is going to oversimplify and that’s quite dangerous. We’ll end up with women worrying about everything. Bad idea!

I agree.

DD1 is autistic (verbal and ‘high functioning’). I think there’s definitely a genetic component with her. Me and my sister both share traits with her, reading my first school report with my difficulties settling, difficulties with changes to routine and transitions, it’s identical to hers at the same age.

However, I had preeclampsia with her, plus i was induced, premature rupture of membranes and a forceps birth. So I’d say there were definitely environmental factors that may have affected her as well.

I've read some research that low iron in pregnancy can be a potential cause of autism. This is interesting, DD was the only child I was anemic with out of 3DC and she looks to be the only one with ASD as well.

I think that the work of autism awareness and advocacy charities over multiple decades has forced clinicians to re-examine the historically narrow diagnostic criteria for autism which has allowed for previously misdiagnosed, often institutionalised, individuals to be assessed and diagnosed as autistic.

When Kanner first noted similar behaviour in institutionalised boys one of the first diagnostic criteria (severe behavioural challenges, non verbal, complete lack of social engagement etc) for autism was created. This was the gold standard for a long time.

Then came Asperger who noted common behaviours and manifestations in groups of boys and along came another diagnostic criteria which encompassed boys with severe social disintegration but with above average IQs.

Then came Wing and Gould who noted common behaviours and manifestations in girls and women and created the DISCO diagnostic criertia.

Ultimately the increased number of diagnoses is due to increased understanding and methods of assessment, which has moved quickly, almost all in part due to the advocacy of the autistic community themselves.

It’s really no different to the introduction of the newborn hearing screening. In the past before proper assessments were in place many Deaf children were institutionalised because they weren’t recognised as being Deaf.

The more medicine advances the more people it should can help.

Genetics, I’m ASD/adhd, had learning difficulties growing up.

DH is adhd, his siblings are all ND too.

My mum is definitely ND and she has other learning difficulties as well and my grandad is 100% aspergers, 3 of my cousins on my mothers side are also ND.

I'm certain it's genetic.

It was only after our children were diagnosed (both normal, vaginal, spontaneous delieveries), my partner had a lightbulb moment about his brother...in his 40's, still living at home, works in a very no stress minimum wage job (despite being highly academically able), stays up in his bedroom the whole time he's home, never had a girlfriend/boyfriend...

I also had a lightbulb moment about me, my brother and my Dad!

Yes I think there was some conflation of correlation and causation. As @DataNotLore says the doctor was struck off. But even though that's been disproved it still lingers in the public imagination and it's still possible to come across books that talk about diet, exercise, trauma, mould, goodness knows what as causative when its mostly wildly speculative and unfounded. Not to say that good diet etc etc isn't beneficial for most people!!

I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anything accessible to read about the current thinking on hereditary/genetic causes of autism. I have several DC awaiting assessment and one with significant learning disabilities. Even though the hereditary nature of autism (and possibly ADHD) in our family is obvious to me now, the DC with learning disabilities still stands apart. I still worry about things that happened when that DC was born - it's human nature I think. Reading something sensible would be a good cure for those kind of thoughts.

I had a textbook pregnancy and DS1 has ASD. He’s also a dead ringer (personality-wise) for my DDad. As DM now says ‘well, yes, your Dad being autistic would certainly explain a lot’. I was also ‘geeky’ ‘weird’ etc etc and even now most of my social skills are learned…so another vote for genetics in our family.

My son is on a waiting list to be assessed. He wasn't breathing at birth and needed emergency care to start breathing, lots of people rushing into the room. I've often wondered if the brief lack of oxygen might be why he struggles to pay attention and spends a lot of time daydreaming.

I've never asked though because the birth was so traumatic and also I don't really want to view him as brain damaged. I prefer the idea that he just is who he is.

I don’t think saying oh my FIL has autistic traits is the same as someone struggling and exploring if they have autism or not.

I have a friend who has an autistic son - she had a friend who had an autistic daughter. They met at autistic support forums and groups etc.
turns out the daughter never had autism - the mother thought she did because she liked different things to other kids and didn’t make friends easily etc. Finally got her assessed and no autism at all, a perfectly healthy little girl who just preferred her own company.

this is what I’m talking about, people
seeing the way some people just are and saying I think they’re autistic cos of XYZ- not the people who genuinely struggle and would be diagnosed these days. There’s a difference.

I’m autistic with inattentive adhd. DS1 is probably borderline autistic with inattentive adhd. DS2 autistic, no adhd, very high IQ. We’re all geeky but DS2 makes me feel so thick!

Good pregnancies.

It’s interesting how these common behaviours and manifestations emerged and were labelled.

I find it irritating though how they have now termed it a spectrum

This to me inhibits further investigations- it like ‘yep your child has autism, bye’

When in reality it could be brain damage in the womb caused by maternal infection or vitamin deficiencies but they are just not interested.

As you know a lot (I’d love to hang out with you) do you think if it was brain damage sustained during pregnancy as opposed to autism the brains would show up differently on a functional MRI scan?

@PinkyU I’m sure we were having a ding dong on a different thread over in relationships a while back 😆😆

What @PinkyU said!

My dad often remembers children he went to school with that had behavioural issues and a few of them got committed. He said they most likely has autism or some form of ND/developmental delay etc and the knowledge just wasn’t there to get them the right help.
It’s really sad when you think about how many people were failed years ago and what they were put through.

That happened to my son too.

He's NT just like his Dad. That's with an autistic mother.

I completely agree with this too. DM and I are the flexible ones.

Ironically, DS1 and DD are flexible, but not autistic. DS3, who is autistic, is not flexible at all!

It's genetics.

My grandfather was autistic, he had three sons and a daughter. Two sons are also autistic, the other one plus the daughter have ADHD.

He also has four grandchildren, again 3 boys and a girl, the girl (me) has ADHD along with one of the other boys, and another boy is autistic. Only one is undiagnosed out of all 9 of us.

It's a similar story in most of the other neuro diverse families I know. I've yet to meet someone ND with no family history at all, but I'm sure they do exist somewhere.

That is true, but there are also studies that show that in a lot of cases with ASD, parents do not meet diagnostic threshold but still score higher than the average NT person in ASD assessments, so there still may be a link even if it’s “only traits”.

I have never really put much thought in to this. Our 16yr old is autistic but I don't see many traits in family. We had a stillbirth before him so were very careful during pregnancy re not doing anything that was even slightly suggested as 'iffy' such as no liver etc as the guilt of 'what if' is torture. I just think that's the way he was made and I wouldn't change any quirky part of him. Interesting to read people's thoughts on genetics.

this and same here!