Questions & Answer:

Post Reply New Topic

Hello! I'm a 33 year old mother with two Aspie children, the youngest of the two just being diagnosed. I have a couple questions that I would love to hear from others on. First, have researchers found that autism or more specifically aspergers been linked to being hereditary? I ask this questing because I now have two Aspie children and a possible third, which leads into my second question. I have a son who will be two years old soon, that isn't talking, he seems to hear fine but is scheduled for a hearing test. None of my other three children have ever had a delay in speech. Macen, (my two year old), has always developed quickly and exceptionally in all his milestones but speaking. He does communicate, he will follow all directions so his comprehension is there, he also points and gives other cues when in need of something. I'm concerned Macen might also be autistic? I say concerned because my husband is having a hard time with this. Can anyone help with theses 3 questions? What are early signs of autism in babies and is delay in speech one of them? Is it carried by patents, genetic?

Yes, there is a genetic component. I'm in a hurry now, but the wikipedia has a pretty good article on autism. The genetics are explained (as far as is known) in the Causes section. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
There are parents on this forum with multiple children with autism, or with some with autism and some without, and sometimes the parents themselves or other relatives. Many adults simply aren't diagnosed because they didn't know anything back then.
Oh: as far as I know they cannot diagnose or identify autism by genetics, only by symptoms. So it is not that simple.

Thank you I found the link you provided very informative!