One Potential Cause

Sherry - posted on 04/28/2011

As with many gentic disorders, it takes the child getting the an affected gene from both parents, all children and family members receive different genes from the parent, hair and eye color. height and lots of different things. I think my youngest son just happened to be the one that got the gentics from both of us. No other family members are a product of my and my husbands genes but our children.

Lindsay - posted on 04/21/2011

If it is genetics, then how do you explain my son being the only person in my AND my husbands family with this. I have done extensive research into both sides of the family, and nothing. No one except my son.

Sherry - posted on 04/15/2011

I have to say that i am in agreement that it is genetic. lots of genetic disorders dont become apparent to parents until the child is older. I am not opposed to believing that enviromental factors are at play. My son is the fifth child in our family, so i noticed differences right away. Had he been my first or even my second child i'm not sure that i would have noticed as soon. The sooner it is identified the closer we are to finding a solution. I know that it is hard to believe that a child can go from "normal" to "autism", but research shows many neurological disorders dont become apparent until years later in life, as well as many genetic disorders. I think that at this point the fact that all children with autism have genes that may be the only common factor among all of them. I dont care where it comes from i just wish the government would fund the research so that our children can have the same treatment and benefits that anyone else can have. I continue to pay for a cure.

Krystal - posted on 03/26/2011

Autism is a genetic disorder. That being said, yes certain things can trigger symptoms and certain things can help alleviate the symptoms, but it's still genetics. Every single person in my husband's family is autistic, with his younger siblings being more severe cases than the older ones because as you age the likelihood of a genetic abnormality increases, thus so does the rate and severity of autism and other genetic conditions. The fact that people are still debating over whether vaccines cause autism is absurd. The doctor who suggested this has been barred from practicing medicine because of his flawed and biased "research." We all want to find reasons for this disorder and want to find someone or something to blame. I knew when I had a child with my husband that there was a good chance of the baby being autistic and that's because I know the research and the facts about autism. Guess what, he is and now we are awaiting the arrival of our second child and will wait it out to see if this one is too. All you can do is catch it early and get the appropriate therapies and treatments for it, and with that the child is more likely to live a "normal" life and be higher functioning than without. I should also say that I help the state of North Dakota with life skill coaching for parents of autistic children.

LeeAnn - posted on 01/29/2011

Connie -Spot On.

Diane - posted on 01/12/2011

Connie said "Here is where the whole thing about autism and vaccine's came from...it is a complete hoax. http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/05/aut..."

In my opinion, the hoax lies elsewhere. Here is a response I sent to a local news station that covered this story: "I am very concerned about the Wakefield stories this week, as they are completely false. Our son was diagnosed with autism back in 2001, two weeks before his 3rd birthday. At that time he was nonverbal, significantly delayed, and we were warned he may never talk and probably never be able to live on his own. He is living proof that autism is treatable and recovery is possible. He is not yet recovered, but well on his way, and a strong student in typical middle school, and has greatly benefited from biomedical treatments under the care of his DAN doctor. Most people who see him would have no idea of his autism. I have heard Dr. Wakefield speak at various autism conferences many times, and he has NEVER stated that the MMR causes autism. His case series published in 1998 was NOT a study, yet news reports keep calling it that. He merely suggested that his findings warranted further review. The actual paper can be found on the Generation Rescue web site, and I suspect few (if any) of Dr. Wakefield's detractors have even bothered to read it before passing judgment. It is criminal that a reporter like Brian Deer could focus his entire career to smear a reputable doctor who has done much good for the autism community. Dr. Wakefield's support extends much further than the media reports. "

Here is a lengthy write-up I found interesting, about Brian Deer, the independent journalist who is behind this witch hunt: http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/01/keepi...

I understand that this is still a huge controversy. I do get that. But there is a huge community supporting Dr. Wakefield and his work.

Tana - posted on 01/12/2011

I agree, Annabel! Very well said! I wish you the best in your continued research & efforts in helping your children. What a really challenging gift it is to have a child somewhere on this HUGE spectrum of autism! :)

Annabel - posted on 01/12/2011

The thing is, autism is a set of symptoms if you like, but there are multiple causes. I'm 99.9% sure my dd's is genetic, on my husbands side (including him) there are people displaying austic traits, they were simply born before the time when we diagnosed every quirky trait with a name. In fact we were told that being low in a particular enzyme can cause autistic traits, though alas in our case she was negative, but that was the reason our doctor said that special diets can work! I think of the word autism, like the term cancer, the collective name for a wide range of conditions of similar type, with varying degrees of severity and prognosis, this means whilst a group of kids may respond to a special diet, another to a drug, another to a particular programme and so on, the sooner we start to differentiate between types of autism, the sooner we will work out how to support individuals .... thats my moan, frustration from not getting heard as we don't fit the only support programme available on the NHS as she refuses to even enter the building!

Tana - posted on 01/08/2011

Genetic; absolutely a component! However, how could our son go from not being able to talk, hurting himself, not eating, and throwing huge tantrums to NOW talking clearly, not hurting himself, and eating well enough to grow AFTER changing to a Glutin-Casine Free/Organic Diet if Genetics is the only factor?

Mindy - posted on 01/06/2011

The article that was posted didn't say that vaccines cause autism. Maybe that is the confusion. It is a study about impact of environmental hazzards.

Connie - posted on 01/06/2011

Here is where the whole thing about autism and vaccine's came from...it is a complete hoax. http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/05/aut...

Environmentally all children develop differently and twin studies have proved it. It is what it is...

Mindy - posted on 01/04/2011

I think that the scientific community also agrees that autism is both genetic and environmental. That is why there is so much research in both areas. When we look for a cause, it is not because we are not accepting our kids, but wanting to know what to do for this child and what to do differently for my children's children. It is possible that a cure can come from knowing about both genetic and environmental causes. Fragile X is close to a cure (a genetic know cause of autism). My kid just had a chromosomal microarray done and he has 1 autism gene... that don't mean that I am going to feed him foods full of pesticides or hormones. I also want to know why that gene effected him (so our whole family is going to have labs done). Just saying this is genetic and move on is not enough. That is like saying asthma is genetic, but then not removing allergens and pollution that trigger it.

Tammi - posted on 01/04/2011

My identical twins have autism, they are now 17yrs old, my very own uncle had autism also, though he was diognosed a long time ago incorrectly as having other things it is now without a doubt that he was indeed autistic. I dont need any other proof that autism is genetic than that.



There certainly are enough identical twins in my immediate circle to cause me to believe it is genetic especially when you start to learn about other members of these families and start hearing that there were members who showed very definate signs of being on the spectrum.



Perhaps not always the case but in my experience over the last 15yrs since my twins were diognosed I would have to say its been mostly the case.

Tina - posted on 01/04/2011

that is fine if you want to unite families. I just want you to be aware that your statements on autism being soley genetic will offend many people and thereby divide us. Do I think my son's autism is environmental? Probably not. But I do not show my opinion as fact to others.

Connie - posted on 01/04/2011

People tend to get offended when they don't like the answer that they are hearing. I also want to clarify...I am all about educating...not offending. I am ALL about uniting families to come together and get proper care for our kids, they already have a brain that has been wired differently and we as a society need to work with them to get them to where they can be without holding them back with the what if's and the what was...if you believe that something was "done" to your child then so be it. I don't believe that anything was "done" to my child, I believe that he was born this way and that God gave him to me because he knew I would be ok with it...I advocate for unity - I research everything and our family has been a part of a study that has indicated that genetics are DEFINATELY a factor in our autism. Environment "may" have something to do with it - like the pervasive use of wireless technology, the pervasive use of chemicals in foods that aren't on labels, where I live the use of commercial pesticides were banned when I was a child. We could talk all we want about what should have been, I am more interested in ensuring that my son, my brother and my cousin all have the best chance at being who they were born to be...I really don't care anymore as to why. That is my point...if you are offended by this it is not my responsibility - I am on a mission to UNITE FAMILIES. That is it...cheers.

Tina - posted on 01/04/2011

First of all, Connie, if you don't want to offend people, then please do not use a condescending tone. You imply that you know that it is genetic based on what? Just because you have a high incidence in your family doesn't prove that it is soley genetic for everyone, even you. There is a possibility that some have genes that can be triggered or "turned on" in the presence of an environmental stimulus. If this is the case, then the people who tout that genetics is the cause and those that tout that environment is the cause are equally right.
To prove something is genetic, you should be able to identify a specific gene or group of genes that are common in those that are affected. Very few genes have been identified as a possible cause in autism, but they are not common in most cases of autism.
There is simply not enough research out there to make your statement.
Perhaps you should talk to a parent whose child went from neurotypical to completely averbal and "austistic-like" in a very short period of time (ie. overnight or within days to weeks). Especially if an environmental exposure immediately preceeded this event. Look them straight in the eye and tell them it is genetic.

Connie - posted on 01/04/2011

Ok...so here we go again. The most up to date information on autism shows that it is genetic. There is a significantly better system to test for autism, there is a lot more knowledge about. Debunking a myth that something other than a mutation of genes has caused autism is very frustrating. In my family I have an uncle, a cousin and a brother and my son...all on one thread of a family. It is genetic. My uncle is 51, cousin 14, brother 17 and son 8. Environmentally there were tonnes of differences in all of those times. It also doesn't explain autism in other parts of the world where there are no pollutants. Please don't be offended by my remarks in any way...I only mean to educate people so that we can unite as one community and fight for the rights of our children collectively instead of trying to figure out why...move forward...love yer kid and get on with it. The journey has just begun and the road ahead of us is to advocate for our children and make sure they get to grow up and be allowed to be who they were born to be. Cheers.