What do you think caused it? ASD/ Autism

[2006hildy]

Never mind all the claptrap written, papers published, media hysteria, ect. What do you personally think caused it? ASD/ Autism

I don't want to bash all the valuable work done out there already. But us MNetters have sorted out a lot already maybe we could help sort this question.

Mine is a dodgy combination of genes between me and DH. Even before we got the dx this was my honest gut instinct that DS1 got the best genes out of the two of us and ds2 got the worst. This sounds bad but I love him dearly.

Since then all kinds of things have gone through my head. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to influence your answers.

Definitely genetic for my two on the spectrum .My dad is definitely aspergers my mother is very self centred .my dp definitely has ADHD

Genetic. Without a doubt.

Genetic here too. DH has traits at the least and probably Aspergers. I strongly suspect other members of Dh's family are on the spectrum too. Ds had brachycardia in labour and a ventouse delivery so I wonder if that triggered problems. Actually Dh was a forceps delivery after a difficult labour.
I know what you mean about inheriting the worst genes. Ds has AS (Dh's side), OCD (traits on both sides), dyslexia/dyscalculia (my side), hayfever/eczema (my side) and hypermobility which he seems to have developed off his own bat.

I think genetic. Ds1 is very like me and my mum and many times I've been asked if I have aspergers. Is there an adult diagnosis BTW? Exdh nephew has aspergers too

Ds1 has aspergers, probably from me. Ds2 has hms, definitely from me.

No family history here. I blame worrying obsessively about Downs Syndrome after a soft marker was found at my 20 week scan.
I also blame getting drunk over New Year after a "phantom period" then finding out I was pregnant a few days later.
I think my maternal age (old) plus a surprise, rapid and solo labour and birth probably didn't help.

Ds's autism came like a bolt from the blue as there is no autism in either of our families. At the time we felt we were "just unlucky" Then we had dd who also has autism so I imagine we have dodgy genes and mine and dh's siblings and cousins managed to avoid them.

In DS2's case, I think it was hereditary. My dad has (undiagnosed and unmentioned but everyone knows) Asperger's and I score quite high on the criteria too.

I also think that as our society becomes more specialised, people with autistic traits are more likely to be able to find a role or niche that has reasonably high status / financial reward (computer programming would be one example). This makes them more attractive as reproductive partners.

I used to think it was my fault for acing a c section which resulted in instant cord clamping and cord falling off at two days old.

Logically, I'd say genetic from DH side.

It may be genetic, my dad and sister have traits of ASD, with the lack of empathy her biological father showed to her he has possibly ASD.

I had a mismanaged birth which may not have helped things. She was oxygen deprived for around half an hour when she was born.

I think a combination of genetic and environmental - does anyone else think this? I had ds2 quite shortly after ds1 (I notice that lots are second children) so is it to do with womb / body recovery? I had clexane in pregnancy, an unidentifiable stressful irritating rash in the latter quarter of pregnancy, a bad birth. My father is very aspergerish, and very like ds2, rambling on about his interest with little regard to his yawning listener, obsessions about certain areas and loads of other things! I am slightly obsessive and dh can be uncommunicative but think you know what he thinks lol! So we have aspects! But my dad is very obviously asd ish to me.

See ds1 has aspergers. Yes he was a scheduled csection, but his cord took a month to come off. I also didn't drink/smoke/take painkillers.

Ds2 was a crash section. Oxygen starved at points. I didn't know I was pregnant for three months so i drank, smoked, popped aspirin etc. I did everything upside down with him as ds1 was only 19m when he was born. And he's got no ASD traits at all that we can see.

Some gentics. Some pot luck I guess.

I think it's genetic. DH's son has Aspergers, as does his nephew. Another has Dyspraxia. A lot of DH's male relatives were seen as eccentric and unsociable. I am currently trying to make DS5's teachers see that there is something else there, querying Aspergers/Dyspraxia.

DS2 has Austism and I do wonder if his difficult birth (his heart stopped and i had to have an emergency section) had a bearing on why he has it more severely than anyone else in the family. I did go through a phase of blaming myself - I had a stressful pregnancy (house move falling through, then moving 2 days before he was born and my brother committing suicide) and probably drank more than a couple of drinks at times. Even down to blaming it on the name I gave him at one point!

Genetic. Autism has existed since long before any of the mooted environmental factors existed.

I am undergoing assessment for aspergers. Both my parents and sister are obviously aspie. DS diagnosed a year ago, DD and DP borderline. I think the reason rates are increasing is because aspies seek out one another (previously many would have remained unmarried) but now there is more opportunity to meet fellow geeks. I met DP online, I suspect that's common for people like us

Really interesting concept about people with ASD historically unlikely to have children - whereas now more likely to.

So the early geeks brought us technology, made themselves into sought after partners due to wealth / social status; then someone invents internet dating so geeks can seek out each other and cut out the crap of unnecessary socialisation Darwinism in action.

No genetics here either. Mind you dh family could sometimes be described as "odd".
Had an elective section which i sometimes now wonder if contributed to sensory issues.
Have three children. Had gestational diabetes during all three pregnancies. Was on insulin on my first and third pregnancy but not on my second. I attended a different hospital for my second and they hadn't updated their guidelines and told me i didn't need insulin even though my levels were high. I had to control by diet alone. Im starting to wonder now three and a half years later if this affected ds. I prob will never know.

Academically I believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors, although no known genetic heritage (but both me and DH have unknown parts of our families). I think there must be some genetic predisposition lurking, added to which we had IUGR (probable placental problems), prematurity, and a very old mother.

DS is the only one with asd on either side of the family.
Can't even think of any relatives who even have traits so i really can't say I think it's genetic.
I just think its one of those things that I will never be able to answer (a bit like which came first the chicken or the egg) :)

Genetics.

My side of the family is definitely predisposed towards ASD.

Although I've also spent the last 15 years blaming everything i did, from hyperemesis to weaning to sleeping to school.........

I think genetics plays a huge part, but I don't think that explains the large increase, so I think there are environmental factors also.

I really don't know in our case; DD is the only one in both sides of the family to have ASD. DH and I have both done that online AQ thing and scored really low and our older DS doesn't seem to have any traits at all.
I worry that it was maybe triggered by something that I did. I was hospitalised with hyperemesis during both pregnancies, but started taking the anti-sickness medication earlier with DD. Both were induced at 10 days over, and her birth was more difficult. There may also be a predisposition to auto-immune difficulties, coming from DH's side.

For my DCs, we know the cause - autism/autistic traits are very common in mitochondrial disease. I have the same disease as well, and when I look at myself critically, I can see traits in me as well...

I think that the rise in diagnosis is only partially related to an increase in incidence, but largely tied to the fact that those with lower "severity" or higher "function" are being formally recognized. When I was a child, someone diagnosed as autistic was "classically" autistic - little to no functional speech, severe repetitive behaviours, no chance at independence... however, since the clear need for and benefit from early intervention has been formally acknowledged, more children are being diagnosed - admittedly both a blessing and a curse.

but started taking the anti-sickness medication earlier with DD

I also took anti sickness medication with my 3rd pregnancy (DS3 has an ASD DX) due to severe 'morning' sickness with my second pregnancy. But, my elder two also have traits (never been assessed though) so I don't think that had any effect (nor could I find any association online)

I do think it is genetic in my sons case, I also think a major explanation for the increase is down to more awareness and more assessment. Had we been assessed I'm sure both myself and my Dad would have been diagnosed. Other older family members on my/my Dads side sound as though they may also have been autistic.

I do believe though, that some children are vaccine damaged.