My daughter is Autistic and I am pregnant with a boy, poll for parents of autistic children?

Question

I saw a gentic doctor who basically told me nothing, (actually what she said was I should have been inseminated with someone else's sperm, which was not helpful at all) so I wanted to poll other parents of Autistic children who have had more than one child.

How many of your children are autistic (and how many are not) and what are their sexes? Thanks for any help. No rude commments please.

I know autism is more common in boys than girls so parents of girl children who are autistic who have gone on to have boys will be doubly helpful.

I forgot to say my husband is the father of both children so I wanted the poll done on whole siblings. ( I hate that term as I think all siblings are equal especially if they are raised together but due to the genetic aspect I need answers from people with the same mother and father)

My husband was recently diagnosed with a very mild case of Asberger's syndrome which is on the autism scale. This was done after my daughter was diagnosed. They had both my husband and I undergo testing. He has a sister who is not Autistic. There are no cases of autism in my family.

Answer 1

I am not a parent but I do have a little cousin who is autistic. I'm very close to her because when she was younger (she's now 7) the only person she allowed to take care of her was me. I also did research work and projects for school on autism (I'm a bio major studying to become a neurologist) because it fascinates me.

In many articles, it states that autism is an inherited neurological disorder but at the same time, people with autism are unlikely to marry and reproduce (because of the lack of social skills, the inability to communicate effectively) so they question how those genes can be passed on. Also, researchers cannot pinpoint the exact gene that causes this, therefore your doctor could not tell you specifically if your newborn will become autistic as well. There's so much information about autism such as symptoms, the difference of their brains compared to a "normal" persona,etc. but at the same time it's still not completely understood.

It is also different for many families, my cousin is the middle child and her two siblings are not autistic. So the probability of your son having autism cannot be determined unless you determine which one; you or your husband/father of the baby, has that gene, meaning you look back in your family history and analyze your family members; if they had any neurological disorder,epilepsy (most associated with autism because of its symptoms and effects on the brain) etc.

This site may be helpful for you, and I suggest you continue your regular check ups and make sure to ask your doctor about your worries of your next child. But also, count your blessings because autism is not a disability. Children with autism are extremely talented, all they need is to be cared for and treated their own way, but at the same time just like everyone else.

Good luck!

http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomic/dougherty.html

Answer 2

My brother has 4 kids, two with autism. A boy & a girl. Both low-functioning.

But I understand that is exceptionally rare.
It is much more common for autistic siblings to be same sex.
Most cases of autism are mid- to high-functioning.

Dr. Geri Dawson, from the M.I.N.D. institute, states it is likley some different genes are involved in male autism than female autism.

Answer 3

Well Im not sure if this will help of not but I have a lil sister who is autistic and she has a lil brother both from the same father the lil boy has no signs of being autistic but he does mimic my lil sister at time he actually does pick up the pace in some areas like when you call his name he will look at you but when u try to call her name she does not pay attention. He has gone through numerous tests to see if he might be but as far as every 1 can tell hes not autistic. He just likes to copy every one.

Answer 4

I have three daughters, and only the oldest has autism.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

My little brother is autistic (asperger's syndrome) and I'm not.

Answer 6

autism is very rare do not worry and it happens again it happens for a reason. good luck!