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?

One of my sons has Asperger's. Now that he's diagnosed, I can see it so evident in other family members - my sister, definitely my mother and my son's great Grandfather (my grandfather on my mother's side.) There's certain traits and obsessions and mannerisms that are typical in all of them. So I think it must be genetic. But it's strange how it manifests because DS2 hasn't got any traits or mannerisms at all. Neither have I. And it comes only from one side of the family - my mother's side.

Interesting question.

I've read that low birth weight is related to adhd, but I don't know if this is a causal relationship or just a correlation.

I've also read that long labours can cause lack of oxygen to the baby's brain during labour which can then cause developmental delays (although I don't think this was related to asd from what I can remember).

I also heard that labour is triggered by the baby releasing a hormone to the mother which initiates labour and that long labours were caused because the baby wasn't releasing enough if the hormone (so the baby's brain might have been different BEFORE the lack of oxygen caused by a long labour).

Sorry, no sources to cite as I can't remember where I read things, but worth a Google if you're interested in these theories.

Research has shown differences in brain architectures for ADHD brains compared to neuro typical brains which would imply there is a genetic component. I believe that studies on adopted children with ADHD also support ADHD being due to genetic factors.

There are also links between ADHD and Parkinson's which would also imply it is down to genetics.

His diagnostic report. HTH.

In regards to why we now diagnose more, I agree that we are better at recognising ASD, but I disagree hugely that there is less stigma. If anything I think there is now more stigma, with the gammons who assume ASD diagnosis is 'an excuse for bad behaviour/parenting.'

I think changes in education have also had a negative effect: it's much harder for children with ASD to cope in mainstream education than ever before, and those who would previously have masked heavily, or just gone unnoticed due to not causing a fuss in class, can no longer do so in the current environment.

JMO.

DD is autistic, I dont have other children and there's no history of autism in my family. DD's dad is foreign from a place where close family marriages are common so that could have a bearing I suppose.
DD's psychiatrist said it can also be linked to difficult pregnancy and birth, both of which I had. DD was induced 3.5 weeks early, in labour for 3 days then emergency CS.

I read some time ago that, as the risk of Down's increases with age in women, thé risk of autism increases where fathers are older due to slightly damaged sperm. DD has undiagnosed PDA, XH was 48 when she was born.

Who knows.

Definitely genetic. My son and all my nephews are diagnosed as autistic or showing traits on my side of the family. My brother and dad also have a lot of traits.

drstranger
When you hear that it can be environmental, what does that mean exactly ?

From research I have read recently there is a statistically significant higher rate of prevalence in autism in children in urban areas (and deprived areas) rather than rural. It is surmised that the pace of rural life/ less sensory demands/ access to open spaces/ more practical and physical lifestyle may reduce the presence of symptoms or the need to seek diagnosis.

Genetics. My DS has ASD with a PDA profile and ADHD. My DD as far as we know has ADHD but no ASD (that has been noticed so far, never say never)
Their Dad is clearly ASD and I show many traits of ADHD. My DB shows many autistic traits as does my DF.

We could all look back and try to pinpoint a cause or something we did during pregnancy or infancy that has somehow caused this but the truth is, it just is. It’s nobody fault, there’s nothing we’ve done to cause this and we just have to make the best of it!

Your son does sound very similar to my daughter.

She was diagnosed by micro array, a micro deletion on chromosome 17q23.3.

To answer the other person, she was also tested for Fragile X, negative.

It's interesting; most people seem to think genetics. I think a lot of the 'Aspergers' types (my DS, for example), you can look through the generations and find clear examples in the fathers, mothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles etc. I know it's a spectrum, but it's interesting how more 'severe' presentations, seem to be more surprising and people don't tend to see a genetic link. That seems to be the case for my friends DC, who blame birth trauma and have no known ASD relatives, and for some mentioned on this thread.

Sorry for the descriptors of Aspergers and severe, I know they are no longer used, it's just difficult to get the description and articulation of what I am meaning correct.

I think it's genetics. My Dc are autistic. Nothing eventful happened during my pregnancies and their births were quick and straightforward. They were all good birth weights. They weren't early or very overdue.
If it was just one of my children then there are lots of things I could try and pin it on if I thought about it, but the reality is nothing remarkable happened that I can put it down to. However autism is all through my family, diagnosed and undiagnosed.

@CaramelicedLatte

His diagnostic report stated that his autism was caused by a traumatic birth?

It used those words?

My mum smoked in pregnancy with me and my siblings. We are all autistic. My sister being the worse with additional mental health problems I think caused by environment.

A family friend also only smoked in pregnancy with her youngest 3. They all have adhd/autism. Her eldest two are fine.

I think it's genetics and factors like smoking in pregnancy etc

I just see autism and mental health in council estates where parents openly smoke and drink and do an array of drugs in pregnancy more than I ever have in my adult life surrounded by people who don't do those things.

And are these individuals high functioning or with learning disabilities non verbal etc?

The thing is with smoking lots of people have smoked during pregnancy and their children do not have autism - I’ve experienced this through my work

There are lots of autistic people in my family and also in DH’s. I didn’t know I was autistic (and adhd) until an adult so a huge amount of traits that my eldest two children showed didn’t seem unusual to me. They both achieve well academically but otherwise tend to have fairly different traits and sensory needs. However, most people without knowing them better are very surprised that they are autistic (same with me and DH).

DC2 had a traumatic and premature birth and is the one whose traits are far more noticeable.

I was low on iron in all pregnancies and hadn’t heard of the link before.

Has anyone heard much about higher rates of neurodivereity in the children of older fathers? Because the sperm carries more chance of chromosomal faults with an older father, does that mean ASD rates higher too?

It was mentioned earlier in the thread I think. However Bernie Ecclestone didn’t seem worried since he fathered a child at 92!

Strange enough one of his daughters thought her two children were autistic and opened a specialist centre in London. Then a few years ago decided that they were no longer autistic and stopping the funding.

Obviously I’m assuming she had medical opinion in both instances

@ladycardamom yes, multiple research studies have found a clear link between autism and the age of the person's father.

Autism doesn't have anything to do with chromosomes

That's not what the geneticist,s at St Mary's hospital told me when they found a chromosome deletion,on my sons micro array blood tests,when his paediatrician referred him after he was diagnosed with autism and learning disabilities when he was three they think is he underlying cause of HIS autism ,.

I read this too. They did try to blame it on older mothers first of all, but the correlation there was only because older mothers tend to have older partners.

If there is a link with older fathers, then does that mean autism doesn't come down the maternal line?
It's interesting that some are insisting that autism is entirely genetic, not just for their child/family but generally, while others are mentioning chromosomes, pregnancy and birth factors, and lifestyle choices that they believed contributed.

My DD is frustrated by the huge spread of symptoms and levels of functioning that fall within the umbrella of "autism". It has a very broad scope, so the word itself tells you very little about someone.
Perhaps autism is a bit of a catch all for various conditions with different causes. Some genetic, some not.

Well yes, there are people who think that not all autism is caused by the same thing. My point is that there is a no physical test which identifies someone as autistic.

Just curious if you're under Prof. Clayton-Smith? As that's who we were under in Manchester x

If there is a link with older fathers, then does that mean autism doesn't come down the maternal line?

Well two of my children have different fathers but they both have autism and so do I.

Although, it should be considered that ND people often attract other ND people.