To just remind you that autism is genetic?

[robotgun]

Research tells us that 60 to 90% of the risk for autism comes from your genome. Maternal and paternal age are also a significant factor. Also genetic variants exist that cause autism-like behaviours and go undiagnosed because we don't routinely run genetic tests on our children. We also don't routinely institutionalise children that are different to their peers.

There's 'more' autism because people are having babies at older ages. And we are better at spotting autism.

It isn't heavy metals, microplastics, or the MMR.

Sorry, but it seems like every day I open this app and there's a new post saying 'What's going on with all this autism around, eh?' and a slew of replies blaming environmental factors that have no science behind them whatsoever. Or, worse, blaming mothers for reproducing too late in life or eating tuna in pregnancy or taking prescribed meds.

If you see enough of these threads every day you could well start to believe the nonsense that people write, much like people that read the Daily Mail every day start to believe that Meghan Markle is the devil.

Autism has always been here. It's not better or worse than it used to be.

Little sperms with their walking sticks and flat caps

No neurodivergence isn’tlinked to trauma but neurodiverse individuals may be at increased risk to trauma.Trauma symptoms can exacerbate neurodiverse traits.

Where are your links re misdiagnosed children having trauma not autism?

I don’t think being a mental health professional
means anything to be honest.Some of the most ignorant as regards neurodiversity have been those we’ve had the misfortune to meet in the mental health field.

Also neurodiversity can skip generations.

Those with Asperger syndrome or “pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified,” endured some of the same social struggles as those with autism but now no longer meet the definition. The proposed change consolidated all three diagnoses under one category, autism spectrum disorder, eliminating Asperger syndrome and P.D.D.-N.O.S. from the manual. Under the old criteria, a person would qualify for the diagnosis by exhibiting 6 or more of 12 behaviours; now the person has to exhibit 3 deficits in social interaction and communication and at least 2 repetitive behaviours, a much narrower menu.

There is debate as to whether the definitions were changed simply to appease those who associated Asperger with eugenics or to actually bring down the number of diagnoses in the U.S. at the time (which was increasing). Now the UK has the most number globally.

The definition of AUTISM is wide open, it really depends on context.
NHS broadly says:
Autism, also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a lifelong, developmental condition. It affects the way a person communicates, interacts and processes information.

Given that definition … most people with a syndrome, learning difficulty, etc can be defined as Autistic if the have communication & “processing” difficulties.

Consider the child w ehcp who was at Autism special school in our area, he was there, doing well, for 4 years. Yup, autism. He then got a Geneticist diagnosis of a rare chromosome Syndrome. The parents included this new info in the ehcp and the school said “he doesn’t have autism” and he needed to leave. He had the exact same communication and processing probs but paper pushers said Buh-bye this is Autism-only school. Parents said wished they had kept mouths shut.

Autism is a huge bucket that many many are put into.
IMO - in time, there will be many many subtypes of Autism with chromosomal causes. They are not all the same, rarely even similar.

Yes you’re right, and usually mothers!

Amongst the community though there seems to be a real problem with even suggesting things that may ease the symptoms (not the right word but I can’t think of the right one) and equate it to some sort of autism genocide, which is ridiculous. People seem very defensive.

For example - if I eat a very low carb diet my sensory issues basically go away. I don’t get overwhelmed by noise, I’m better at dealing with normal everyday stress. If I say that in certain places I’m shot down and told I’m irresponsible for saying that as they think I’m suggesting there’s a cure for autism, that it’s pseudoscience, that I’m basically Hitler etc. All I’ve done is say how low carb affects me positively, and maybe that can help others live easier lives. I know others who eat a similar diet for the same reasons, but now we tend to keep it to ourselves which is a shame.

Could you PM me and tell me what it is?

Surely another factor in the perceived increase is that until recently the diagnostic criteria was based solely on the way autism typically presents in males (because of course it did), so it seemed that autistic females barely existed.

Y

Can you say what drug?

Both of us have ND parents who would/will never be diagnosed.

My dad is the same. It's a shame more of that generation won't cooperate. It would make things so much clearer.

👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

“Or, worse, blaming mothers for reproducing too late in life or eating tuna in pregnancy or taking prescribed meds.“

Isn’t the above what you just did?….

“There's 'more' autism because people are having babies at older ages.”

I’m not sure I understand the point of this post, why do we need reminding that autism is genetic?

SSRi exposure in utero probably a very small but real risk not confounded by underlying conditions e.g. (there are others): https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j2811#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20antidepressants%20during%20pregnancy,1.85%3B%20table%202%E2%87%93).

Yep......also birds of a feather tend to flick together so any resulting DC are hammered with the Autism gene from both sides unlike with most other genetic conditions.

I'm Autistic, my kids dad is also on the Spectrum......in fact I know lots of kids who have Autism and their parents.......all of the parents I know also have obvious traits on both side. Same as all my friends.......it's human nature to gravitate towards people who are like us.

That seems a fair explanation & summary.

It does get awfully boring and depressing listening to the catastrophic view when you're a parent to HFASCers.

In the old days male Autism was confused with lots of other mental illnesses and most men with the moderate to severe conditions who couldn’t support themselves were institutionalised, had no contact with the general population, or were just ignored or hidden away. Women with autism, on the other hand, were often prized for being quiet / focussed on the home (sometimes hyperfocussed) on housework/childcare; but you always knew they were odd.

It’s why I’m unsurprised that autism diagnosis rates are increasing in India. Anyone with family there knows autism isn’t being increased just doctors’ ability (and family’s willness to treat) is increasing.

I’m not sure I understand the point of this post, why do we need reminding that autism is genetic?

If you hang around autism themed threads enough, you'll notice why.

OFC once they isolate the genes, they'll want to eradicate us. So that'll be the next big thing.

Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder . Where the brain or areas of the brain don’t work as intended. Sometimes, an area of the brain will function very well, to make up for the other areas that don’t. the way it lights up can be identified on a brain scan.
Autism is a disability. you can’t outgrow autism. There are therapies that can teach your child to learn in the way that they learn best. There are things about autism that they will never be able to out grow. There is an autistic person that can only communicate by pointing to letters. I believe a lot of autism diagnoses are being made that aren’t organic in nature.

There is such a range in autism and there are new theories every so often about what contributes to it. I don’t think enough is known or proved about what causes the various ranges and degrees of autism to tell anyone they are wrong or dismiss them, especially when several people that have experienced sudden changes in their children after certain events. Having another medical condition and reading the standard information given about symptoms and diagnostic range, compared to the experience and self-gained knowledge of a large community with the same condition, I’m not always that impressed with official medical information.

I can recall a number of students from my school years who were shy, quiet, introverted, sensitive, artistic, high strung, genius etc etc.
None were diagnosed with anything.

It’s always been there.

One thing that has increased is babies surviving very early premature births, some have Autistic diagnosis later.

We are migraine people my mum me my DD (my mum really bad, me mainly auras my DD more like my mum), my DD also dyslexic from her fathers side I think. I was an older mum I don't think it had anything to do with anything. My DD was an A student in everything once she figured out the dyslexia (I really think it was her rather than the help she got once she found things she wanted to read she was off, a bit like my DH really but well before dyslexia was recognised), migraine can still be a problem but less often these days.

Sincerely, it’s what the OP put further up. Autism isn’t a ‘thing’ - it’s a bucket diagnosis from a ticklist of observed behaviours with countless genetic mechanisms.

I’m clearly in my ‘Group 3’. DH and I would be diagnosed autistic if we were children now. We have two autistic kiddos. One has an EHCP and the other is possibly AuDHD. They’re perfectly healthy DS who perfectly take after their parents - as you would expect.

The idea that their autism was ‘caused’ by our age, our diet, pollution, chemicals or trauma, or that we could ‘treat’ the ‘symptoms’ with diet (I adopted a low carb diet due to having gestational diabetes with DS2 and it makes not the blindest bit of difference to my sensory issues) is simply daft TO US.

I can see why this stuff might seem reasonable though if you have no family history of autism and then have a severely learning disabled DS with gut issues and epilepsy. You might be wondering “did I do something to cause this? Why me? How can I treat this disease? Can this be cured? Blah Blah…”

But, to us, it’s obvious what we ‘did’… we, erm, bumped uglies. And our DC’s ‘symptoms’ are, well, their personalities, which their parents reached adulthood also having and often being criticised for.

ASD is mainly hereditary however, there are environmental factors, I believe 20-30% from memory (someone correct me if they have the newest stats) that have not been accounted for just yet in research. Maternal age has not been proven yet in autism causes.

@RatHole

I agrée with you re food! People don't want to hear it but there are lots of us who do see correlations. I cook from scratch and try not to use processed food. When I do my child's autistic traits are much much more obvious and challenging. I feel better in myself if I cut the carbs and processed food too.

There is also medication. I'm ADHD as well as autistic. Was in my 20s when diagnosed so got through school struggling but without meds. Well ADHD meds they do like to hand out SSRIs (which absolutely make me worse and more obviously have needs) But I tried meds as an adult. Yes my brain could focus that was amazing but dear god it highlighted all my sensory issues and made me much more obviously autistic. Now I'm mes free and clean eating, im still autistic but the level of struggles is vastly reduced

This being a worry of mine, I'm 35, my boyfriend is 62. Pregnant with my first child and I know autism and ADHD run in my family. Didn't know about the age of the parents link until I was quite far along in my pregnancy, (although both my mum and my sister were much younger than me when they were having kids, me and my siblings and my niece are ND to some extent.) I'm more worried about the severity of it, than whether or not my little boy is going to be autistic.