Okay im so confused...is autism geneticlly transferred or from vaccines...please tell me...and show me your source/links....no wikipedia thats cheating lol
2007-05-22 18:47:13 · 7 answers · asked by ashlee 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Autism has a genetic component but it is not 100% genetic. Twin studies are used to determine how genetic something is.
If Arianna, my autistic niece, had a fraternal twin (no more shared genes than any other sibling) the odds would be about 4 to 6% - same as any other sibling. But if she had an identical twin (same genes) the odds would be somewhere between 60%-90% that the twin would be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
But it's not 100%. So it is not 100% genetic. It seems like kids inherit a vunerability to autism. There needs to be a "trigger." Some people think vaccinations are that trigger. I doubt that. Some suspect pollutents. That is more likely, but I still have my doubts. It could be fevers, allergies, who knows what.
Age of that parents also seem to increase the likelihood of autism. A child concieved when the father is in his 50s is 9 times more likely to be autistic than a child concieved when the father is in his 20s.
2007-05-24 13:30:21 · answer #1 · answered by Smart Kat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The bottom line is, no one really knows for sure what causes autism. Most experts will say that autism is probably caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Even those experts, though, do not have a definite answer. For many people, this uncertainty is terribly frustrating. On the plus side, interest in and funding for autism research is on the rise, so new and better information should be forthcoming in the next months and years.
2007-05-23 15:02:26 · answer #2 · answered by Q. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hello,
My best understanding is that it is caused by a genetic predisposition (this has been proved through many studies) but the murky part is, what "brings it out"? It has been suggested that something in the environment (an "insult") to the developing fetus could be the culprit. Yes, vaccines have been ruled out by all the medical evidence, but I know professionals in medicine who do not believe this is the final word.
I will tell you it is not caused by "refrigerator mothers". This was a popular theory in the early 1960's. It is an organic brain issue, a medical issue and should be covered by insurance for the therapies needed.
2007-05-24 02:56:01 · answer #3 · answered by so_so_wicked 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Currently underway is phase II of the Autism Genome Project that is investigationg the genetic link.
Phase I of the project published findings online in the Nature Genetics Feb 18 2007 issue.
Based on both current and previous research scientists suggest there maybe as many as 6 main genes with 30 additional genes linked to autism, although it is too early to provide details about how they may be responsible for autism.
2007-05-23 05:56:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is mounting evidence that autism originates early in pregnancy in many cases, as I believe it did for my son. He showed signs of a "problem" from infancy and was later dx'ed with a brain malformation that I'm sure plays a part in it. Check out amazon or Barnes and Noble for any books about this. "Autism neurological" will bring up an impressive list.
LIZARD :)
2007-05-26 16:12:01 · answer #5 · answered by Liz W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nobody knows for sure. Theories and speculation are abound, but I've done a lot of reading into it, and it all boils down to "we don't know". The research indicates that it is a combination of heredity with an environmental trigger.
2007-05-22 18:51:19 · answer #6 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its like anything else...
your genetics make you more susceptible to it......but your environment takes over from there...
similar to alcoholism, or obesity, etc...
2007-05-22 18:50:25 · answer #7 · answered by justin 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋