would you test for Autism?

[KatiesMum]

Artcile in todays paper - Testing for Autism
(http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/the-potential-for-genius-should-not-stop-autism-screening-20090118-7jyg.html?page=-1)


If the test were available - would you test for Autism Spectrum Disorder?

If you tested posative (whatever or however they work that out - I am assuming they cannot tell you which end of the spectrum or which specific autistic disorder ... just that your bub is ASD) - what would you do?

Should we be developing this test?

[NibbleCurlynBub]

:no: I don't test for downs syndrome either.

[RoarsomeMum]

:yes: I would.. for the same reason I tested for DS.

To get an idea of what to expect, to research and educate myself on any/all ways to improve quality of life for my Bubba.

NOT to contemplate termination (adding this because it seems everyone is linking having the test with ending the preg if it was +.. That's NOT what I'd be getting the test for.)

[Thermolicious]

If it was a maternal blood test I would.

[Nowhere]

I had a feeling this question would pop up on the hub when I first heard about this about a week ago

Basicly no i wouldnt reasons being is no alot of children with autism both servere and not servere at all and with the right therapy they can have a great life, Yes they have more stugles than some but then they also have less struggles than others

They cant tell you how afected the child will be my autism from that test either nor can they tel you how much potential the child will have either with or with out autism

Austism isnt something that you die from so its not like its a terminal illness, Yet if there is testing available then some babies will die from it as the parents may abort the baby before they have even yet to meet it. Which is think is a dam shame

Im not trying to discredit autism I know that children with autism can have a really hard time im not trying to say its any less of a disability then any other, But i just think that an autistic baby should be given a chance at life like any one else

[stellarella]

No I wouldn't.
I don't test for anything.

The only time I could see myself testing for something would be if there was a hereditary illness which was severe and debilitating or fatal which ran in my family. I'm talking about serious conditions here which are not compatible with life or any sort of quality of life.

I belive ASD has a lot of environmental factors at play as well.

[MimiGrace]

The only time I could see myself testing for something would be if there was a hereditary illness which was severe and debilitating or fatal which ran in my family. I'm talking about serious conditions here which are not compatible with life or any sort of quality of life.
Aspergers syndrome is a hereditary illness in my family...(just felt like pointing it out :p)

I probably wouldn't test, because i probably wont' test for anything else. But if they could tell easily through an ultra-sound, i would possibly want to know, so that i could start therapy asap.
But my mother will be looking out for any signs of aspergers/autism in all of my kids from day 1, so i think we'll pick it up pretty early regardless

[naiwen]

I would only test if it was harmless and it gave me the ability to prepare myself to help my child better.

I would worry about false positives though.

[sam's mum]

only so I could start early intervention as early as possible.

[3blue&1pink]

I am most probably going to be looked down on now..

But yes I would test for it and yes I am 99% sure I would terminate if it came back positive.

Yes I am aware of what I am talking about my son has Autism.

[Lilahh]

:iagree: I have worked extensively/know a lot about children with Autism. It's the only condition I don't think I could cope with if I had a child born with it. I'd prefer DS any day. IMO autism is a cruel disorder for sufferers and their families, but then I have only had bad experiences through work, I obviously can't speak for all children/families with Autism.

[sam's mum]

I am most probably going to be looked down on now..

But yes I would test for it and yes I am 99% sure I would terminate if it came back positive.

Yes I am aware of what I am talking about my son has Autism.

the problem is that ASD is a very big spectrum. The difference between DD1 and some of the other kids at her therapy groups was so huge that I couldn't believe that they even had the same diagnosis.

Our experiences colour what we do and what decisions we make so much. :hugs:

[workin'mumof2]

only so I could start early intervention as early as possible.

me too because it took me so long b4 anyone would listen to me and we start early intervention next month when he is 2years and 4months old.

i would only test if it was harmless and at NO risk to the unborn child. but i wouldnt abort.

on a different note my fil was saying he reckons that albert einstien and leonardo divincy were asd.

so who knows what creations my son could make:D

[sam's mum]

:iagree: I have worked extensively/know a lot about children with Autism. It's the only condition I don't think I could cope with if I had a child born with it. I'd prefer DS any day. IMO autism is a cruel disorder for sufferers and their families, but then I have only had bad experiences through work, I obviously can't speak for all children/families with Autism.

DD1 doesn't suffer from autism. It is part of who she is. Five years ago she was the child who threw tantrums in class and had few friends. She was the one who was lucky to spend 5 minutes in class before being sent to the office. She was excluded from school more often than she was there.

Last year she graduated from grade 7 as the DUX of her class. She was congratulated by a large group of friends. Her teacher said that she hoped she would come back and visit. Her principal said that she was a lovely student with a rare intellect who would do well.

the difference was that there were two different schools and a huge amount of therapy.

She doesn't SUFFER from autism at all.

[misskittyfantastico]

DD1 doesn't suffer from autism. It is part of who she is. Five years ago she was the child who threw tantrums in class and had few friends. She was the one who was lucky to spend 5 minutes in class before being sent to the office. She was excluded from school more often than she was there.

Last year she graduated from grade 7 as the DUX of her class. She was congratulated by a large group of friends. Her teacher said that she hoped she would come back and visit. Her principal said that she was a lovely student with a rare intellect who would do well.

the difference was that there were two different schools and a huge amount of therapy.

She doesn't SUFFER from autism at all.

What an outstanding post:yelclap::yelclap:

[NibbleCurlynBub]

What an outstanding post:yelclap::yelclap:
:iagree:

[misskittyfantastico]

the difference was that there were two different schools and a huge amount of therapy.


And a pretty amazing mum, I'm willing to wager.

[sam's mum]

And a pretty amazing mum, I'm willing to wager.

thanks :o

I think I am an ordinary mum who was given a challenge. And I had my mum standing behind me propping me up. She lives 4 hours away but would be down on the train if I needed her, and she would take DD1 for the Christmas holidays (we were all together for Christmas week) to give me a break.

[Grizabella]

:yes: I would.. for the same reason I tested for DS.

To get an idea of what to expect, to research and educate myself on any/all ways to improve quality of life for my Bubba.

NOT to contemplate termination (adding this because it seems everyone is linking having the test with ending the preg if it was +.. That's NOT what I'd be getting the test for.)

I hate these emoticon thingies but what the hey :iagree:


only so I could start early intervention as early as possible. Which is exactly what I was going to follow my post with but you saved me the trouble :p


:iagree: I have worked extensively/know a lot about children with Autism. It's the only condition I don't think I could cope with if I had a child born with it. I'd prefer DS any day. IMO autism is a cruel disorder for sufferers and their families, but then I have only had bad experiences through work, I obviously can't speak for all children/families with Autism.

You can't truly claim to know a lot about ASD if you have only had bad experiences then can you.

My son is classed as "high functioning" so whilst he is a lot of work, with a lot more to go, he is incredibly bright, funny, and a true joy in our lives.

Just to put things in perspective, here is a list of people in our world who are diagnosed, show classic signs, or through retrospect were seen to have possessed autistic traits.


Historical famous people



Jane Austen (http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janeinfo.html), 1775-1817, English novelist, author of Pride and Prejudice
Béla Bartók (http://www.fuguemasters.com/bartok.html), 1881-1945, Hungarian composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (http://classicalmus.hispeed.com/articles/beethoven.html), 1770-1827, German/Viennese composer
Alexander Graham Bell (http://bell.uccb.ns.ca/), 1847-1922, Scottish/Canadian/American inventor of the telephone
Anton Bruckner (http://www.bruckner.org/Bruckner/), 1824-1896, Austrian composer
Henry Cavendish (http://www.chem.mtu.edu/chemistry/PAGES/HISTORY/HenryCavendish.html), 1731-1810, English/French scientist, discovered the composition of air and water
Emily Dickinson (http://faculty.stcc.cc.tn.us/bmcclure/lessons2/dickinson.htm), 1830-1886, US poet
Thomas Edison (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Edison,+Thomas+A.), 1847-1931, US inventor
Albert Einstein (http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/%7Ehistory/Mathematicians/Einstein.html), 1879-1955, German/American theoretical physicist
Henry Ford (http://www.invent.org/book/book-text/43.html), 1863-1947, US industrialist
Kaspar Hauser (http://kbs.cs.tu-berlin.de/%7Ejutta/me/notes/kaspar-hauser.html), c1812-1833, German foundling, portrayed in a film (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0071691) by Werner Herzog
Oliver Heaviside (http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/%7Ehistory/Mathematicians/Heaviside.html), 1850-1925, English physicist
Thomas Jefferson (http://diagnosingjefferson.com/), 1743-1826, US politician
Carl Jung (http://www.encyclopedia.com/printablenew/06771.html), 1875-1961, Swiss psychoanalyst
Franz Kafka (http://info.pitt.edu/%7Ekafka/kafkabio.html), 1883-1924, Czech writer
Wasily Kandinsky (http://www.oir.ucf.edu/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/), 1866-1944, Russian/French painter
H P Lovecraft (http://www.hplovecraft.com/), 1890-1937, US writer
Ludwig II (http://members.aol.com/knkreutzer/ludwig2/ludwig2a.htm), 1845-1886, King of Bavaria
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-18048,00.html), 1868-1928, Scottish architect and designer
Gustav Mahler (http://www.wwnorton.com/classical/composers/mahler.htm), 1860-1911, Czech/Austrian composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/mozart.html), 1756-1791, Austrian composer
Isaac Newton (http://www.newton.org.uk/), 1642-1727, English mathematician and physicist
Friedrich Nietzsche (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/), 1844-1900, German philosopher
Bertrand Russell (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell/), 1872-1970, British logician
George Bernard Shaw (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=68917), 1856-1950, Irish playwright, writer of Pygmalion, critic and Socialist
Richard Strauss (http://www.richard-strauss.com/), 1864-1949, German composer
Nikola Tesla (http://neuronet.pitt.edu/%7Ebogdan/tesla/), 1856-1943, Serbian/American scientist, engineer, inventor of electric motors
Henry Thoreau (http://libws66.lib.niu.edu/thoreau/), 1817-1862, US writer
Alan Turing (http://www.turing.org.uk/), 1912-1954, English mathematician, computer scientist and cryptographer
Mark Twain (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Twain,+Mark), 1835-1910, US humorist
Vincent Van Gogh (http://www.vangoghgallery.com/), 1853-1890, Dutch painter
Ludwig Wittgenstein (http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/w/wittgens.htm), 1889-1951, Viennese/English logician and philosopher

Historical people prominent in the late twentieth century (died after 1975)



Isaac Asimov (http://www.clark.net/pub/edseiler/WWW/asimov_home_page.html), 1920-1992, Russian/US writer on science and of science fiction, author of Bicentennial Man (see above (http://www.geocities.com/richardg_uk/famousac.html?200919#bicent))
Hans Asperger (http://www.autism-society.org/packages/aspergers.html#whatis), 1906-1980, Austrian paediatric doctor after whom Asperger's Syndrom is named
John Denver (http://www.getmusic.com/adultpop/johndenver/bio/main.html), 1943-1997, US musician
Glenn Gould (http://www.glenngould.com/gg/), 1932-1982, Canadian pianist
Jim Henson (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Henson,+Jim), 1936-1990, creator of the Muppets, US puppeteer, writer, producer, director, composer
Alfred Hitchcock (http://www.hitchcock.nl/), 1899-1980, English/American film director
Howard Hughes (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A31322-2001Oct21), 1905-1976, US billionaire
Andy Kaufman (http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/), 1949-1984, US comedian, subject of the film Man on the Moon (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0125664)
L S Lowry (http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/lowry_laurence_s.html), 1887-1976, English painter of "matchstick men"
Charles Schulz (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Schulz,+Charles+M.), 1922-2000, US cartoonist and creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown
Andy Warhol (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Warhol,+Andy), 1928-1987, US artist

Contemporary famous people



Woody Allen (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Allen,+Woody), 1935-, US comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, jazz clarinettist
Tony Benn (http://www.britannica.com/seo/t/tony-benn/), 1925-, English Labour politician
Bob Dylan (http://www.bobdylan.com/), 1941-, US singer-songwriter
Joseph Erber (http://www.lmo.co.uk/page48.html), 1985-, young English composer/musician who has Asperger's Syndrome, subject of a BBC TV documentary (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/1998/01/03/bbc2.html)
Bobby Fischer (http://www.rio.com/%7Ejohnnymc/), 1943-, US chess champion
Bill Gates (http://www.microsoft.com/BillGates/), 1955-, US global monopolist
Genie (http://kccesl.tripod.com/genie.html), 1957-?, US "wild child (http://www.plu.edu/%7Ejensenmk/271wild.html)"
Crispin Glover (http://www.angelfire.com/celeb/crispinglover/denver.html), 1964-, US actor
Al Gore (http://www.nldline.com/adultwwwboard/messages/1077.html), 1948-, former US Vice President and presidential candidate (http://www.2000vote.com/gore.htm)
Jeff Greenfield (http://www.pbs.org/wttw/ceoexchange/series/greenfield.html), 1943-, US political analyst/speechwriter, a political wonk
David Helfgott (http://people.mn.mediaone.net/drderek/dhelfgott.htm), 1947-, Australian pianist, subject of the film Shine (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0117631)
Michael Jackson (http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Michael%20Jackson.html), 1958-, US singer
Garrison Keillor (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Keillor,+Garrison), 1942-, US writer, humorist and host of Prairie Home Companion
Kevin Mitnick (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2001-03-29-asperger.htm), 1963-, US "hacker"
John Motson (http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/tv_and_radio/match_of_the_day/newsid_882000/882124.stm), 1945-, English sports commentator
John Nash (http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/Content/2001/02/27/page3/), 1928-, US mathematician (portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0268978), USA 2001)
Keith Olbermann (http://members.aol.com/BMC583/keiolb.html), 1959-, US sportscaster
Michael Palin (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Palin,+Michael), 1943-, English comedian and presenter
Keanu Reeves (http://www.keanuweb.com/stories/19990162.html), 1964-, Lebanese/Canadian/US actor
Oliver Sacks (http://www.oliversacks.com/), 1933-, UK/US neurologist, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0093487) and Awakenings (http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0099077)
James Taylor (http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Taylor,+James+%28I%29), 1948-, US singer/songwriter

What would our world be like if they weren't around?

[workin'mumof2]

sam's mum - that was a great post and i agree.. my husband has aspergers and doesnt "suffer" at all:no:

hes actually a very bright man who has certain goals but has to have things a certain way but dont we all;)

im very lucky that i have my dh who can relate to our son. to help him deal with things just like he does.

[workin'mumof2]

What would our world be like if they weren't around?

:iagree:

[Blueberry Crumble]

The thing is, why not try to develop a test for everything and then we can breed a completely "normal" population. Lets develop a screen for mental disorders such as schitzophrenia and OCD< because they can take over and ruin lives.

I have taught a gorgeous boy with Autism. I have also worked with the Autism association and have seen how different the spectrum is. Some of these children are completely HARD work, I dont know if I would be able to cope. But I would be scared to terminate just incase my baby turned out to be high functioning IYKWIM.

[Lilahh]

I work in a 24/hr residential care program for children whose behaviour is so extreme their parents are no longer capable of caring for them. Their autism has had a crippling effect on their ability to function in society, and I see them in a great deal of distress. That;s the extreme end of the autism spectrum.

Despite that, I am very aware many people with ASD live creative, successful, inspirational lives. I credit much of this success to their wonderful, supportive parents.

I've thought about it a great deal, and I don't believe I would have that strength to successfully parent a child with the type of Autism I have worked with; to meet their complex needs. This is based on my own, limited experiences, but thats how we form opinions, off our own, limited experiences.

Peace and Respect, I clearly have upset people here and that wasn't my intention.

On a side note, I had my NT but would not have terminated for DS, simply have liked to have been prepared for a child with DS. This is because I feel as though I would have been able to care for a child with these type of needs. But many parents choose to terminate DS pregnancies for various reasons. I can see Autism testing taking this route.

[smog]

i think if the test had existed when i was preg with my ASD son, i def would of tested and i think when i received the positive for ASD i prob wouldve terminated:o. im not proud to say that but its true. and the sad thing is because of my fears i wouldve missed out on such a great kid. my son has aspergers syndrome and he is an awesome little boy who has a lot to offer the world.
the test sux:thumbsdown: dumb people like me will miss out on truly special, awesome kids

[3blue&1pink]

the problem is that ASD is a very big spectrum. The difference between DD1 and some of the other kids at her therapy groups was so huge that I couldn't believe that they even had the same diagnosis.

Our experiences colour what we do and what decisions we make so much. :hugs:

Yeah our experiences do, I have grown up with a step father and younger brother with Autism as well. Despite me saying I would terminate .. I would never in a million years put my son back for a 'normal child'





DD1 doesn't suffer from autism. It is part of who she is. Five years ago she was the child who threw tantrums in class and had few friends. She was the one who was lucky to spend 5 minutes in class before being sent to the office. She was excluded from school more often than she was there.

Last year she graduated from grade 7 as the DUX of her class. She was congratulated by a large group of friends. Her teacher said that she hoped she would come back and visit. Her principal said that she was a lovely student with a rare intellect who would do well.

the difference was that there were two different schools and a huge amount of therapy.

She doesn't SUFFER from autism at all.

WOW, that really really gives me hope. Well done to your daughter.. good on her!





thanks :o

I think I am an ordinary mum who was given a challenge. And I had my mum standing behind me propping me up. She lives 4 hours away but would be down on the train if I needed her, and she would take DD1 for the Christmas holidays (we were all together for Christmas week) to give me a break.

I have my MIL and my mum who support us.. I don't know how I would do without them. I do believe I was given my son as a challenge and I do believe I was given him because I can handle him and I can help him.. thats why I am his mum.

Despite believing that I still blame myself for every last little thing.. I was this close -><- to having an abortion against my wishes.. at the last minute I said No and walked out... I believe in Karma..and I think this is my Karma :gloomy:



The thing is, why not try to develop a test for everything and then we can breed a completely "normal" population. Lets develop a screen for mental disorders such as schitzophrenia and OCD< because they can take over and ruin lives.

Now thats a really good point!




I've thought about it a great deal, and I don't believe I would have that strength to successfully parent a child with the type of Autism I have worked with; to meet their complex needs. This is based on my own, limited experiences, but thats how we form opinions, off our own, limited experiences.

It's amazing how you find all this inner strength and find ways around problems that are put in your pathway.. 4 years ago I had the same opinion, its amazing what a mothers love and devotion to her child can do.

[ellie13]

Very interesting debate .....hmmmm and a lot of food for thought.

I would probably test, only so we could help the little bub asap with therapy etc....as from what I uderstand (and unfortunately don't have much knowledge of) Autism. but I would only test if it was a simple blood test or any other non-invasive test, which would have no impact on bub.

I really find these debates interesting as we have a few genetically identifiable conditions which can be tested for between me and DH. We have 1 in 100 chance of having a CF bub, but we will not test during pregnancy, but if bub will come back after heel prick as positive for the CF gene, I will have her/him have the sweat test to make sure that they are just carriers of the gene and not have the illness...I would not even dream of terminating.

I also have a cancer gene, so my child has 1 in 2 chance of having this gene.....should I not have my children????? Probably the simillar discussion could arise from that...... cancer kills, but I always look at it that with all those things I am still very happy that I was born......and I hope that my children will be too.

[Jamaica]

I test for downs etc purely because I would liek to be as prepared as possible especially if my child was special needs. BUT because Autism is a spectrum disorder I wouldnt bother. I would be so stressed out knowing and wonderign to what extent when it could only be mild also the only Autistic child I know (this may not be normal but) was developmentally normal until he was over 18months. So I dont know how accurate a test could be when (in my friends case anyway) the onset was much later.

[naomis mum]

well my daughter was diagnosed with autism just last week and i can tell you that NO NO NO NO NO would i test for it. and if there was a test it wouldnt change my decision to keep her in any way at all, neither would it if she was terminally ill or couldnt walk, or looked malformed. i beleive that she has a RIGHT to life. no matter what the affliction. haiving her with autism and all her other issues has made me a better person. she has taught me how to love in such a way that i never would have known if she wasnt around. there is never a day that goes by that i dont wish that she didnt have her issues, but there is also never a day where i wish that there was a test for autism so that i could have made a choice not to have her either...:no:

and to be honest....it probably wouldnt change anything if you knew as they dont really start early intervention until they are around the age of 2 anyway....so you would have two years of worry and concern for what??

[Benji]

:yes: I would.. for the same reason I tested for DS.

To get an idea of what to expect, to research and educate myself on any/all ways to improve quality of life for my Bubba.

NOT to contemplate termination (adding this because it seems everyone is linking having the test with ending the preg if it was +.. That's NOT what I'd be getting the test for.)

I feel the same way.

From what I've read and heard, it can be difficult to get even an older child diagnosed with autism. If they could diagnose it in a fetus, it would save a lot of testing and questioning for a child in the future :)

[MyFourCubs]

i think if the test had existed when i was preg with my ASD son, i def would of tested and i think when i received the positive for ASD i prob wouldve terminated. im not proud to say that but its true. and the sad thing is because of my fears i wouldve missed out on such a great kid. my son has aspergers syndrome and he is an awesome little boy who has a lot to offer the world.
the test sux dumb people like me will miss out on truly special, awesome kids

Here here!:yelclap: I absolutley agree.

I understand most of what has already been said in this thread. I have to ask though- how are we testing for autism in an unborn child when scientists still don't know for SURE what causes it?:confused: Without concrete evidence, or even sound evidence, how can you give a positive or negative result?

Anyway, to answer the original question- yes, I would probably have tested for autism when I was pregnant with my children, not to raise the question of termination because I personally could not go through with one, but just because the test was there. However, as sm03 said, I am sooo glad I did not find out that my son had autism when I was pregnant because it would have clouded my thoughts and my emotions, I had no idea what autism was and on paper it looks bloody nasty and it is one thing to accept your living, breathing beautiful child as having a disability and completely another to be told the same about a baby that you have not "met" yet, iynwim. By the time I found out that my ds had autism I loved him more than anything in the world. I did not just see his autism- as would have been the case if I were told as a result of a prenatal test- I saw the funny, engaging, beautiful, loving child that he is. Ok, I am not going to sugar coat it, some days autism sucks- but all childeren have sucky days, sucky weeks even sucky years- my 21 month old non autistic dd atm is being a major pain in the bum and she doesn't have a disabilty to blame!

I have heard before from friends that work with "special needs" children that autism is the one disability that they could nto cope with. One of them by pure irony "ended up" with a autistic child herself. I understand where they are coming from. It is hard, very hard and some days I have briefly fantasised about how my life would be without my ds and with my two "normal" daughters.:o However, as frustrating as autism can be, I have come to accept that my son would not, as a PP said, be who he is without it. he is so clever, he is light years ahead of his peers in counting, puzzle solving, and general mathematical ability. he can remember and relay songs perfectly that he has only heard once. he dazzles people with his personality, and captivates people with his smile and his enthusiasm for life. It is worth noting I think that the majority of adults with autism, from what I understand, do not believe they are suffering at all- they think that they are normal and the rest of us are strange!:laughing:

I think life gets very scary when you start trying to weed out the "imperfect." Already there is such social pressure to avoid birthing a "defective baby," where possible. those of us with "imperfect chidlren," are made to feel guilty for burdening society, for letting down the staus quo. It's a joke. My son may not be perfect, but who the hell is and who has the right to say that because he has autism he should not have been born? Dont anybody say that this is not what this is about because if they do come up with this test it will be what it is about. Ask a mothjer of a DS child how often she hears the question, "did you know that your baby ahd DS before he'she was born?" (Insert subtext here:rolleyes:.) Ok I am generalising massively but some people DO think like that and there was a thread a while back on government funding late term abortions because disabled chidlren are a "burden" on society. It's a fact and it's disgusting and I would never support a test now, knowing what I do about autism, that would try and prevent autistic children from being born.

As for those in the 24/7 care because they are "too autistic," for their parents to handle- I ahve to wonder how many of these poor kids received early intervention? Of coarse there will be chidren who will be so severe that early intervention can have a limited effect- but the percentage of these children on the specrum is tiny. I feel for them and their poor families and would never try and imagine what I would ahve done in their position because I cannot without being in their shoes- but autism is a SPECTRUM, the vast majority respond very, very well to early intervention and as sam's Mum said, can become not only fully functioning members of society but valuable contributors to society. To risk these beautiful souls and clever minds not being born would be a shameful disgrace and a tragedy.

I really could go on all night about the ethics, etc etc but all i will say is where do you draw the line? In todays society how do you define what is normal? Acceptable? "Perfect?" Prenatal testing has it's place- absolutely, But when it becomes a life / death situation I think it is on some very shaky ground.:gloomy:

[MyFourCubs]

I feel the same way.

From what I've read and heard, it can be difficult to get even an older child diagnosed with autism. If they could diagnose it in a fetus, it would save a lot of testing and questioning for a child in the future :)

I agree but I would personally prefer the test was a newborn screening. Surely it would be more reliable, combined with a check list for early warning behaviours? My ASd ds was very noticably "abnormal" from birth, although I was the only one who noticed it.:rolleyes: How fabulous if it could be picked up that early! From an early intervention point that would be :thumbsup:

[smog]

I agree but I would personally prefer the test was a newborn screening. Surely it would be more reliable, combined with a check list for early warning behaviours? My ASd ds was very noticably "abnormal" from birth, although I was the only one who noticed it.:rolleyes: How fabulous if it could be picked up that early! From an early intervention point that would be :thumbsup:
yes i agree wouldnt this make much more sense?
also im wondering how a prenatal test can be accurate? as mentioned earlier it is not yet known what causes autism. i have read many possible reasons listed one of which i have seen many times is birth trauma? trauma to the brain during the birth process. if this was indeed one of the causes then obviously testing prenatally would be no guarantee

[smog]

hehehe see how passionate all us mums of autistic kids are? surely that should be answer enough . we didnt choose ASD kids but we love them perhaps even more than if they had been "normal" kids

[RoarsomeMum]

hehehe see how passionate all us mums of autistic kids are? surely that should be answer enough . we didnt choose ASD kids but we love them perhaps even more than if they had been "normal" kids

so you SHOULD be passionate! :yelclap: and I hope you understand that many people in the thread who ticked "yes" I would test (like me!) would be doing it with Good intentions to best meet our baby's needs. (ie. arm ourselves with any/all info on diet, therapy, signs, support, etc) NOT to end the pregnancy.

and I guess Im seeing it as all (what's that hyper word? that means not really an option yet? wanna say hypocritical but thats WRONG!! oh, hyperthetical?)
I'd pick ANY test. Preg, Newborn, whatever.. so long as it was not a RISKY test. I'd do it.