Genetic Transmission of Autistic Traits

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Here is a simple scenario: Two autistic parents have a child. Based on research, it is highly likely that the child will be autistic.

What would be interesting to know, is whether or not the child would possess traits specific to their parents. If this were true:

+ The child is likely to be non-verbal if their parents were non-verbal, and for a similar amount of time.
+ The child is likely to have similar sensory sensitivities to their parents.

Very little is known regarding the genetics behind autism, so I cannot claim anything without the aid of those who can provide anecdotes with which this scenario applies.

_________________
Unapologetically, Norny.
-chronically drunk

There have been many research studies which addresses this.

Even within identical twin pairs, it's fairly frequent for one twin to have, say, Asperger's; and the other to have classic autism.

You have parents with classic autism having Asperger's kids.

You have parents with Asperger's having kids with classical autism.

You have parents with all sorts of autism having neurotypical kids.

Of course, you have neurotypical parents having autistic kids.

Autism is genetic, but not in a Mendelian sense.

dad is aspie [informaly diagnosed by specialists of mine] and am LFA,mum isnt autistic,just weird.
dads brother isnt autistic but his son has high functioning mild classic autism,one of his daughters has aspergers and was recently diagnosed.
sister is aspie [misdiagnosed with social anxiety disorder as a teen],one of her kids is definitely neuro diverse though she refuses to recognise the possibility as she doesnt want them having anything that makes them stand out;the other child is NT.
mums sister is aspie;she has daily support,her son is NT.

I think the bigger concern would be having kids, that are nt narcissists, borderline, etc.

It seems empathy disorders have a genetic link to autism.

The traits of my parents added together in me, and I seem to have gotten most of their different autistic traits combined in one person.
My mother has auditory hypersensitivity, which my father doesn't have, so I got from my mother.
My father has visual-spatial hyperfunctioning associated with autism, which my mother doesn't have, so I got from my father.
Other traits follow similar pattern.
Both of my parents had more-or-less on-time language development in childhood, but mine was delayed, so that is increased severity from their traits.
Also my social traits higher in severity than theirs at any stage of life.
Both of them seem to be somewhat face-blind, as they don't recognize characters on episodic dramas that they have been watching for 20+ episodes.

I was born to two very neurotypical parents. My older brother is also an NT.

I had a severe speech delay (didn't speak until I was 5).

I have visual-spatial problems.

I was a "classic autistic" until age 5, then a "classic Aspergian" after I acquired speech.

I don't make eye contact naturally.

I tend to like to talk about my special interests.

There are times when I don't exhibit "theory of mind" within social situations.

I had no empathy as a child, though some as an adult.

People always think there's "something wrong" with me.

My dad seems to be BPD (not diagnosed) with asperger traits.

Similarities:
- We both are hypersensitive to sound.
- We both got above average inteligence and "MacGywer"-like abilities of creating something from nothing and fixing stuffs.
- We both show we care about someone by being useful to them. Almost no verbal expressions of affection.
- We both are stubborn.

Somehow similar:
- He used to spin a wheel of bike for hours when he was child. (I like similar activities)
- He is obsessive about photography. It seem to be his life long interest that started when he was young adult. (My special interests are changing from time to time, perhaps I am still looking for the one)
- He insist for dinner to be the same hour everyday and it must contain meat, potatoes and a salad. (I eat when I am hungry - no routine about it - and I honestly hate his dinner idea. I could eat dumpling everyday though.)
- He seem to lack empathy. He can't show that he understand what other feel. He gets angry instead. (I also can't show it - but I put a poker face and try my best to help the person to deal with a problem.)
- He is prone to meltdowns and shutdowns. (I am slightly better in controlling my meltdowns, and my shutdowns don't take so long: up to an hour while he can go into selective mutism for whole weeks.)
- He wants the house to be clean at all times - but makes a total mess and cleans only after he gets angry with us not cleaning. (I don't care much about how clean is our house and I make a mess in my room - but when I am home alone I keep the house clean.)

Dissimilarities:
- He got a lot of casual friends. He seem to know everyone. (I don't have many friends and I have trouble recognizing people)
- He likes meetings and parties. (I hate those)
- He is OK with loud environment unless he wants to sleep. He can easily overhear what people say. (I can't filter noises vs voices)
- He doesn't have touch sensitivity. (I am hypersensitive)
- He is hypersensitive to taste. (I am hyposensitive)
- He is paranoid about what people think about us. (I could care less.)

Other info: his sister seem to be autistic (however she was diagnosed with mental retardation, autism was not yet know when she was a child). Family often compare me to her. She got a lot of social issues and is really awkward.


My mom seem to be NT.

Similarities:
- We both got prosopagnosia.
- We both are hyposensitive to taste.
- We are both introverts (gain energy when alone).

Somehow similar:
- She seem to have a special interest in gardening. She spends her whole day in the garden (and is angry when she can't to it) and likes to talk about flowers all the time, despite the fact I am bored like hell when she does. (I spend my whole days in front of computer - and I am angry when I can't do it. I like writing about my interests on the interests but I avoid talking about them in real social situations - unless someone brings the topic up.)

Dissimilarities:
- She cares about people and tries her best to learn about them. (I don't give a damn.)
- She likes meeting with people and chit-chat despite being an introvert. (I would rather stay in my room and focus on my interests)
- She got close friends. (My friends are more of casual friends)
- She got average intelligence. (I am above average)
- She can't fix anything. She can't create a thing even when following a manual and having all the parts. (I am skilled)
- She has no patience to sort, organize stuffs. (I like sorting, organizing stuffs)
- She hates hot temperatures and warm clothes. (I hate cold temperatures and I like warm clothes)
- It is important for her to wear fashionable clothes even if they are uncomfortable. (I will not wear anything that is uncomfortable and I don't give a damn about fashion)
- When she was a toddler grandma could put her on a high furniture and my mom was just sitting there while my grandma was cleaning the house. Apparently she was aware it is dangerous to move. (When I was that age I was actually climbing furnitures by myself. Even being nearly smashed by a high closet falling at me - I avoided it by hiding between shelves - didn't teach me to be careful).

Other info: her sister seem to have a sensory processing disorder (she realizes bad smells, distracting sounds even faster than I do and she wears only comfortable clothes) and she fidgets a lot, even when she is calm. But she does OK in social situations and got many close friends.

So:
I inherited some of the autistic genes my dads sister did. I wonder why my dad was not affected so much.
I inherited inteligence, skills, some social issues, meltdowns, shutdowns and rigidity from my dad.
Obsessive interests are traits of both of my parents.
I inherited prosopagnosia from my mom. I believe it makes my social isolation worse. I can't not only "read" people but also remember their faces.
I inherited the same sensory processing and stims responsible genes as my moms sister. But why didn't it affect my mom?