<Daily Mail Alert> Autism linked to high achieving parents

[MincePieFlavouredVoidka]

Here

I feel fairly convinced autism has roots in genetics. DD quite severe, BIL aspy, MIL says remembers uncle who probably had ASD (with hindsight). Interestingly, first total population study for ASD was carried out recently in Korea. 1 in 38 on the spectrum!

I don't feel S B-C's pronouncements have much relevance for someone with autism who will never be able to live independently, get a job etc. The high profile his opinions are given seems imo to deflect attention from those with ASD who need most help.

wow, kudos on the November surfing - brrrr!

was thinking a questionnaire could focus on things that go across the spectrum like unusual/specialised pattern recognition - but perhaps most parents wouldn't understand and it would be hard to make it applicable to all ages.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2064834/Is-changing-role-women-society-rise-autism-past-30-years.html

Let's blame the women.

It's a likert scale though tab so you have to agree/disagree etc - and about the half the questions just cannot be answered in the way they're meant to be.

I surfed all last winter lingle but ds1 stopped when it got cold. He's showing no sign of stopping yet this year. Haven't managed to get gloves on him yet but will need to work on that really if he's going to go between December and February.

Dont know if this is 'flame-able' but could it not be that more highly educated parents are possibly more able to research and identify symptoms/indicators and know what routes to go down in order to acheive diagnosis. Thus, those who are not naturally academic may not be aware of the indcators of autism/aspergers, or know what to do if symptoms are apparent, and subsequently their child is not diagnosed?

I do not intend to blanket this opinion, just pondering it really.

'and about the half the questions just cannot be answered in the way they're meant to be.'

I was joking, I thought that was obvious, clearly not, lol

that's a perfect link, lenin.

yy candle, i said it earlier and no-one flamed me

the thing is, dx is process-driven, and for one reason or another, those who don't have a process-driven mindset, or an amazing amount of perseverance and staying power (often at odds with 'health professionals') are going to be at a disadvantage immediately.

It's a no-brainer when you look at schools and see which children get the funding. the system is designed to eschew the vulnerable, not support them. it costs too much.

is sbc actually paid by the tories, btw? because he's doing a sterling job of spotlighting one particular agenda. i can't work out if it's his own personal bias or if he's being paid to divert attention for some reason....

Oh I thought you might be tab. I'm just cross about it because one of the most prestigious autism research centres in the uk actually makes it extremely difficult for families of kids with severe autism to take part in any research. Then come up with research findings about 'autism' which are completely irrelevant to those who are non high functioning (but don't mak that clear).

It just pushes my buttons

Michelle Dawson (who I often agree with and sometimes don't) tends to write from a neurodiversity viewpoint.

Anecdotally in ds1's school (talking to parents from ten/twenty years ago) the number of autistic kids has increased dramatically - from the occasional one in the school to full classes (ds1 is in a class of 6 autistic kids - with autism as the primary dx - yes they have sld's because of the severity of their autism but they are autistic not learning disabled with autistic features). Because no-one ever records categories of autism I don't think you can tell. Yes obviously the diagnostic criteria have broadened and so numbers of cases of 'autism' have shot up, but it may be that numbers of regressive type (for example) severe autism are also increasing albeit in smaller overall numbers. It seems to be the case in ds1's school - but anecdotally. While everything is called 'autism' and say someone with DS and autism is classed as having the same dx as someone with autism but no other additional difficulties you can't begin to work out what's going on because the numbers are meaningless.

It's like looking at animals as a whole rather than distinguishing between mice, woodlice, snakes and birds. unless you look at each sub group you can't say what's happening.

LeonieDelt

"I'm talking about genetic vs regressive vs vaccine damaged vs all the other ORIGINS and CAUSES of autism"

I would suggest you read the research such as Is There a ?Regressive Phenotype? of Autism Spectrum Disorder Associated with the Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine? A CPEA Study. There are more related research papers included in my online PubMed Autism and Regression collection

Which reduces your statement to

"I'm talking about genetics all the other ORIGINS and CAUSES of autism"

Coff33pot - my grandparents worked in the fishing industry and DH's dad was a miner. We were both firsts in our immediate family lines when it came to going to uni.

Jimjams - we're definitely one of the genetic families. Loads of it on my side and a few with traits on DH's

I've just completed all the study questionnaires, anyhow. It was very difficult to complete the personality questionnaire for DS2 because he is non-verbal and there was nowhere to mention this.

I don't think much to the AQ test anyway - I'm assuming it's the same one? Questions like whether you prefer a library or a party I think are just measuring nothing.

I'm NT and sociable, I like parties fine - I also love books and like going to the library...my DS hates music, crowds, but also he's not keen on libraries, lol.

So any answer from either of us is entirely arbitrary and I don't think in any way meaningful - I think a lot of the questions are like that.

There seems to be a discourse that AS (or HFA) isn't that big a problem, that everyone's on the spectrum, therefore it doesn't really cause that many issues. Also autism does seem to be portrayed as just the HF side of it...I think it makes it very hard for people trying to get support - it perpetuates the autism = quirky but gifted idea. S B-C pushes that forward IMO. I don't think it helps anyone, well except him I suppose

tab - being an engineer might not cause ASD, but the relationship is highly likely to be the other way around. I'm a Scientist, DH is a Software Developer. We're both utter geeks, even when it comes to things outside of our degrees.

DH works with a lot of other developers who have some definite aspie traits: obsessions and subjects which they drone on about, social ineptness, fidgets and sensory issues around the clothes they wear or food they eat, single or in relationships where there is a definite imbalance of who does the organising...

well exactly. locally an it start-up has just opened which is providing employment opportunities for people on the spectrum, because of the evidence that demonstrates this is an ideal sphere.
chicken and egg.

Ok so could it be seen like this........

NT kids (of which I got 2) grow up changing their minds at various stages of childhood on what they want to be when they grow up. Half of them (and I have one) has still left school still unsure what she wants to be.

AS/ASD child homes in on one subject that facinates them, sticks to that subject and persues their future based on just that one goal. (I personally call this a great gift) Due to this gift they persue a great career.

So are they actually saying that the majority of the engineering, mathematicians, machine builders, doctors are all possibly autistic hence the theory that their children are???

I cant see it but I am trying now to actually work out how this man is ticking..........

oh I'm absolutely not saying that there isn't a genetic link between certain personality traits and ASDs, More that Which job someone does is down to a lot more than just what they're drawn to or are good at. It doesn't follow that everyone who would be good in or would enjoy an engineering type job got the opportunities to do that.

tabulahrasa

"There seems to be a discourse that AS (or HFA) isn't that big a problem, that everyone's on the spectrum, therefore it doesn't really cause that many issues. Also autism does seem to be portrayed as just the HF side of it."

You are correct. The problem for researchers has been the invasive nature of the technology being used to investigate the neurological issues, such as fMRI. Which has delayed the investigative research to move the understanding of ASD from the old behavioral models to more neurological and genetic understanding of ASD, in line with related the less complex issues which can combine to be the contributing underlying causes of ASD. And the AS and HFA members of the spectrum are those who are most able to take part in this line of research. In more recent times the technology has become increasingly more user freiendly, so hopefully more LFA individuals will be able to participate in future investigative research.
Like many disabilities there are those who have a severe form of the disability say like being completely deaf, and those who have a mild form of the disability, or having a hearing impairment. The same applies to ASD, but this is complicated because ASD is made up of multiple disabilities, and each individual will have different degrees of severity for each of these disabilities, and as a result different alternative compensating ability options to work around the various disabilities.

@jimjams

bloody hell woman - surfing through the winter!

I think the general theory (Yved to death) is that mathsy/sciency/techy types tend to have the type of brain which makes them good at these things. In the past these were traditionally male professions, so women with that kind of brain wouldn't necessarily be any more concentrated around universities and workplaces full of geeky techy types. Now those gender stereotypes have broken down a little, women attracted to these careers will all congregate in certain locations, which means that geeks breed and what was an advantageous trait in each parent can combine to produce children who are more likely to have more than just traits and possibly even disabilities as a result.