Children of AS Parents

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I've recently discovered the mystery of AS and now suspect I might have it. I am currently undiagnosed but fit some, but not all criteria. I will post my story at a later date, but I wanted to touch a subject that is related.

In my research of AS symptoms and behavior, it seems more evident to me that my father has AS, though never diagnosed. Heck, he never ever sought any kind of psychological counseling. He was a fairly successful computer programming manager and consultant and he supported my mom and 4 kids well, so no suspicions of a mental disorder was ever an issue.

I won't get into his symptoms right now, but I am wondering if some AS behavior can be learned. Like I said, I have some symptoms, but the AS tests I've taken suggests I am both a NT and AS. But if my father was a true AS, then is it possible that I could have learned from his example and am now reaping the unfortunate repercussions of AS-like behavior? I would appreciate any input. Thanks.

Interesting thoughts. I'll be thinking about this. I am self diagnosed, my current offical DX is Bipolar. Bipolar doesn't fit me, AS does, but I don't have the "main" criteria as my VA doctor puts it. He thinks you can't even be in the same room with other people in a very broad sense, can't look them in the eye and so on. His problem, not mine, he just see's some one with coping skills that go back some 50 plus years. Now in looking back at my family tree, I never could nor can I see Bipolar, AS symptoms stick out, big time. My Father was one of these. I'm leaning towards you could learn some behavioral traits from a parent, AS or not. However, there are some that just stick out so much and are so self driven as to defy anything other then a self trait. My Dad had obsessions and I do to. The intensity (inner feelings) of my obsessions, I do not think for a second could be anything other then what I came with, inherited, most likely, but not through being in the same room and catching it. Having said that, I did catch this part from him, it's an ok thing to do and when I did it and it wasn't destructive, I got his blessing. This is something many of my generation didn't get lucky enough to be blessed with.

I think you bring up a valid point. However I give you this, you may very well have had a NT parent too. Did your being rasied and near them over shadow your AS traits? In my case, no, did I learn from her, yes. But I learned through other NT's as well, I think I came to call it the school of hard knocks. I got the school of hard knocks from both parents, having AS doesn't automatically let you see it in others and in my case, how my father delt with his, was not a good way for me. I'm dyslexic, school was a good place for him, it was hell for me. But if they even knew about Dyslexia back then, they weren't concerned, they were more concerned I didn't say my S's correctly.

I have been wondering about exactly the same thing! Two of my teen sons have been dx'ed with AS and my other 2 children have some traits of AS along with inattentive ADHD. I am dx'ed inattentive ADHD, but have enough AS characteristics that it has been mentioned that I check that out. This all stems from my father and his siblings who also seem to have the same behaviours and issues.
It seems to me that if we are raised by people who are socially different and look at the world differently, we definitely would develop some of those traits into our own personality. My father was a strict disciplinarian and had very concrete ideas about how his children should behave. I now realize that some of those ideas are way wrong but as a child, they were things he pounded into my head (literally and figuratively) that I will never forget.
As for my children, they were raised by an ADHD woman with a social phobia. That had to effect them in one way or another. It is hard to learn social skills when you never really go anywhere as a small child. But then again, only 2 of my kids are like that. The other 2 are social butterflies.
I have looked for research into this subject but I think because AS is only now being given the attention it deserves, there would not have been any research on issues such as this.

If you do find any information on this, I would be interested in knowing what it says.

i thought my son was an aspie but when he was tested he came out with normal neurotypical score, I think he must have learned some behaviour from me.

I really don't know anyone else in my family that had AS symptoms and behavior like me. So basically for me, I might be the only one in my family with AS.

Welcome to WP!

Tim

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