Has anyone in your family displayed ASD signs and symptoms?

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I mean, whether anyone in your family displayed ASD-like behaviours but weren't otherwise diagnosed with it, or very strongly suspected of having it...after all, ASD is a spectrum as they say, and sometimes the boundaries between it and "normal" or neurotypical behaviour may get blurred (said at least one person to me who was dubious about mental health professionals over-diagnosing folks with ASD - not that I fully agree with his opinion).

I can tell you that my younger brother had some ASD-like symptoms back in the '80s when us Gen-X kids were growing up... he'd play with He-man toys and such longer than most kids his age, but not really have peers to play them with, he'd insist on watching the same Saturday morning cartoons every day and would get really upset if he couldn't, and had attention span issues on subjects that didn't interest him. But those seemed to dissipate later in his childhood, and he seemed very neurotypical by his teens, whereas I very certainly did not.

I can also tell you that my mother, who's nearly 80, seems to have showed more ASD-like symptoms with age - even though she never fully did in the past...there may be some genetic links at play, since her dad had Parkinson's and recently some neuro-biological scientists had posited a link between that and ASD in one's family. I've observed the following behaviours over the past decade or so:

-- She doesn't seem to acknowledge other people's discomfort or perspectives with regards to her own preferences - for instance, there have been several times where she'll turn on the radio or YouTube to some modern classical music performer or a performer of some mid-twentieth century musical, asking my wife and I "Do you like such-and-such?" and I'll reply, "no, not a big fan really" and she goes "Well I LOVE it!!" and she turns it on, and starts singing along with it, and I'll display an uncomfortable look, or give a pointed clearing of my throat, but she'll be oblivious to this and still sing along with the opera, or musical, or what-have-you. (She has an AWFUL singing voice.)

-- To the above point, she seems to have narrow / eccentric interests, and an apparent lack of self-awareness.

-- I recall she was very naive in the past, like when I was 13-14 and dealing with bullying she called the school which only made it worse, and I TOLD HER THAT...I had at least enough street smarts to know that in some school cultures, it's basically like prison culture And another time during that year, on Halloween, she left a metal bowl full of candy on the front step saying that people are honest in this neighbourhood...sure enough, she came back from her outing and the bowl was overturned, all gone except for a few pieces of candy lying on the gravel or in the dirt

-- There have been MANY times when myself or my wife have told her something - or been discussing something amongst us three - then she will ask a question or make a statement for something that was already very clearly addressed just seconds earlier!! Which shows the executive dysfunction or ADHD-like part of autism. And she will even acknowledge what was just said with "mmm-hmm" or "yes..." and then ask the redundant question, as if she wasn't really paying attention at all. (This is not dementia - since she remembers me and my brother and where she is - although as per an earlier thread, I can tell that some older folk who had ASD had been mis-diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimers by specialists who didn't know about ASD.)

On the other hand, she seems to have much higher-than-average general knowledge and memory, as we've played Jeopardy (North American game show) several times "virtually competitively".

So, draw your own conclusions!!

Only my cousin's son. Technically AuDHD.
Who's diagnosed ASD level 2 with ADHD.

And said cousin only verbally been saying has ADHD than admit publicly that her son is also autistic.


But that is all.
Any possible autistic relatives I may know of, I do not know really well.


Any of my relatives that may not seem NT like? Or may be undiagnosed autistic?

My paternal grandpa, maybe.
Else, I do not know him that really close.
But that might just be him, being a senior and alcoholic. I never knew him any younger than that, only that he's practically a troll grandpa and very extroverted.

Don't know why he's alcoholic.
Don't know why or what he's been through to lead to that.


Closest possible candidate might be my yet again paternal side; my youngest aunt.

Only that she's officially diagnosed with mental health conditions...
I don't know her that closely enough to declare her autistic, wouldn't know if she's high masking burnout or just another usual psych case because of pandemic.

Only that she's definitely a burnt out, breadwinner of 2 kids with whatever complicated past I cannot say.

And her daughter; possible candidate for ADD. Autistic? I don't know.
I do have a gist about her and her elder brother, but I have my doubts because I don't know them that extensively.


Regardless...
I relate to no one as an autistic.

That everyone knew I'm not NT.
That said family, more notably on my paternal side, has a decent attitude towards neurodivergence.

But that's mostly it, really...

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Looking back, I'd say my gradfather, though of course there was no diagnosis available for him. He was very quiet, inexpensive, into his own thoughts, and uncomfortable in social situations.

I got diagnosed with dyslexia & ADD in kindergarten. After learning about those disorders my dad believes he has dyslexia & ADD as well & me & mom also think he has those. Dad also has a bit of traits of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder & his OCPD was a positive trait at his job. He worked in construction till he retired a couple years ago & his work quality & reliability was usually very appreciated by the contractors, coworkers, & home/business owners. However his OCPD caused some problems at home, especially when combined with his ADD. He starts various DIY projects & is very picky about things being a specific way. He also has a habit of abandoning the projects for a long time if he ever gets back to them. Dad also makes a bit of decisions without my mom's input or he insists his plan is the only way that will work. He has to have control over the music when riding in a car with him or played on the stereo system at home. He grew up in New Orleans(him & mom have lived about an hour away from there all my life) & the only music dad listens to is blues & jazz. He does stim a bit like tap his fingers & me & mom think that's due to his ADD. Dad sometimes zones out a bit when he's at home or driving when me or mom are talking to him. As for his dyslexia, he dropped out of college after failing English a couple times & his teacher told him that he would never pass her class.

Other than that dad seems NT & can be quite social when he meets people he knows from work & he also liked going to festivals including New Orleans music festivals like Jazz Fest & French Quarter Fest.

Dad's two brothers have some autistic traits as well. One is a confirmed bachelor who has been single most of my life. He really likes doing activities like fishing & camping & being in a serious relationship might have interfered with that. He worked in catering for a major hotel & really likes going to festivals so he's not autistic.

Dad's other brother is a chemical engineer but he really likes being social & going to festivals & such as well so I don't think he's autistic either. He has one kid, a daughter who is kind of introverted & really likes reading & some artistic creative stuff. She worked at a library while in college. I don't really know enough about my cousin to say if she's autistic or not though I'm pretty sure I have it a lot worse if she is.

My mom was a bit of a perfectionist at home which made her teaching me independence a lot more complicated & frustrating. Mom also seems kinda introverted at home & when going places. However she's very capable socially & she worked as a teacher till she retired(she mostly taught pre-K) & she seemed very social at school so I highly doubt she's autistic.

My father had strong interests in trains and trolleys to the point of literally going to places where books said old trolley tracks are still visible, flustered by multitasking, unexpected change, and loud noises. His dad was an accountant and was set in his ways to the point of being rigid.

My brother is noise sensitive. My sister has trouble multitasking, has anxiety and prefers quiet, less stressful situations.

Not that I can say with any certainty, though the maternal side seemed a lot more relatable in the very short time I spent with them than the paternal side.

Dad - definitely
Paternal grandad - possibly
Cousin on Mum's side of family - probably
Nephew - diagnosed with ASD a year or two ago
Niece - maybe
Sister - maybe
Son - seems to have got a bit of it

Sister = Non Verbal, everybody else in family , unknown

My Cousins son have ASD Level2
I suspect my nethew has Tendences
My father has ADHD
All comes of my fathers side of the family
I am diagnosed AUDHD

I only have one extended family member diagnosed with autism & he's the son of one of my cousins on my mom's side. Lots of the women on my mom's side of extended family are teachers or nurses including my cousin(she's a teacher). The guys on my mom's side seem NT as well with the exception of my cousin's son so if he inherited his autism I would assume it's from his dad but his dad seems NT too. I doubt that my autism was inherited despite my dad having a few traits. I have a couple physical disabilities that are also supposedly inherited that no one in my extended family has so perhaps the hospital screwed up & I got swapped right after being born I fit in with my girlfriend's family a lot more than my own. Cass & her family have lots of various mental & physical disabilities including autism.