Is autism/aspergers hereditary?

[AM]

As the title says really.

I see some behaviours in my father which could I guess be associated with autism, and now in my second son, and was just wondering about genetic links of the condition...

[TripleTime]

Pretty sure there isnt.

[leishi]

My father has Aspergers and I was told that there is no genetic link with it...yet. There definitely has to be though. There are 4 other people in my family (cousins and an uncle) who have been diagnosed as well.

I have noticed that I also have a few characteristics of Aspergers, however I think my 'quirks' are learned from my father, rather than inherited!

[Lilahh]

Autism has a strong genetic link. I can post stats if your interested, gimme a sec

[MimiGrace]

i have no references - but in my opinion there is no doubt that in some cases, it really truly is.

my brother (only person in our family with an official diagnosis) is the one with the least severe characteristics. my dad clearly has it, his brother, his father (and mother - i can't help but think that if she has so many characteristics, and so does her husband - its no wonder her two sons have it as severe as they do), and even me - all show clear, not-learned characteristics of aspergers. :yes:

my auntie however, doesn't appear to have any traits and neither do her children.

[AM]

Autism has a strong genetic link. I can post stats if your interested, gimme a sec

Thanks, very interested.

Gee, it was just a stab in the dark, I'm amazed.

[Lilahh]

Family studies indicate 3-7% of siblings and extended family members of individuals with autism also have the disorder (Le Couteur et al., 1996).

and

The likelihood that autism will occur twice in the same family is 50-100x greater then chance alone (Bolton et al., 1994.)

But also, in general, family members of individuals with autism are more likely to display some of the features of autism without necessarily having the disorder. Like aloofness, rigidness, lack of tact, and poorer communication and comprehension.

[catch 22]

I am an aspie and my son has autism. My dd is showing some signs of being aspie as well. My sister also probably is also aspie or mild autistic but not dxed.

[Amara]

The latest research is showing that it looks like it is.

I know a family where two cousins are on the spectrum but I don't know the family well enough to know if anyone in the next gen up has it.

[Baldie's Mum]

As the title says really.

I see some behaviours in my father which could I guess be associated with autism, and now in my second son, and was just wondering about genetic links of the condition...

From what i understand, the australian government has done a study that suggests it is.

I wish i could find my father (he is in a plane) and he would give me the links! :cool:

[Pax]

I am studying personality at the moment and biological research in my text book shows that personality is 50% biological.

So I would say :yes:

[Baldie's Mum]

Autism has a genetic component:
Autism is hereditary, in that children with autistic people in their family are more likely than other children to be autistic. Researchers are well on the way to finding genes that relate to autism -- but the jury is still out regarding exactly how such genes might function to create autistic symptoms. Sophia Colamarino, Science Program Director at Cure Autism Now, explains,"We’re talking about genes because they allow us to understand the biological origins of the problem."

http://autism.about.com/od/causesofautism/p/recentresearch.htm
(its an american website)

Genes Probably Interact with Environmental Factors:
It is likely that genetics and environmental factors interact to cause autism. As yet, there is no proof of which environmental or genetic factors are to blame. Says Dr. Croen, autism "You need some kind of genetic susceptibility; then you have to be exposed to something which is elusive at the moment. This would be the impetus that sends you into autism."

(same website)

[reAllytee]

Yes it is widely understood to be genetic but also still unknown iykwim ... Obviously isn't in some cases but more often than not it is.

The thing that tends to be the case is that if one child has ASD it is more common for the following children to be ASD too.

We always considered my dad to be eccentric/ quirky, my sister was tested back as a young child for Autism but cause there was set criteria back then she didn't tick the boxes she was give the 'all clear' so to speak when it's fairly obvious she is. My family also has OCD tendencies.

My nephew has now been diagnosed with Aspergers & also has ADHD & ODD. As I spoke about the other day Boof is being assessed later this month but I am fairly certain G has missed out but he does have some learned behaviour from Boof.

[AM]

Thanks for all the info everyone, interesting. :yes:

[tinker bella]

Yes, same with us and others I know, definitely runs in families.

Hubby has aspergers as does his little clone our son. Other family members of DH do as well.

I don't and neither does my little clone our daughter. No autism in my side of the family.

[Bel1978]

Both of my 2 kids are on the spectrum and my nephew at 10 is still delayed

[bumMum]

I think it definitely is.
which is beginning to become more and more obvious in my little family.

[MummaBear03]

My poor daughter had no chance, it's in my family on both sides, and also on her father's side, her father has it and so does his sister. As soon as I went through what I know of the medical history from both sides, the paed said "yep, that's it then!" lol. Of course there is lots of testing that goes with it, but the specialists were convinced that's what they were looking for based on the genetic link.

[Tam-I-Am]

It tends to run in families - but that doesn't mean it's genetic in nature, necessarily. Most heritable conditions require something in the environment that triggers them, and many conditions that occur in families are caused by something in the environment rather than something genetic.

So it's unknown at this point in time whether it's genetic, environmental, or a combination of both - but it's thought that the latter is the case.

When taking a history of a child with autism, it's always asked if there are other members of the family that have it.

:)

[Bel1978]

I wouldn't have a 3rd child with my 2 already regardless if it is or not

[RHJ]

I believe there certainly would be from looking at my family.
My DS has it,
My sister is in the process of being diagnosed (likely to be aspergers) and we would be 99% certain my uncle has it also (aspergers again) VERY smart guy, with very limited social awareness.

[veve]

I've seen too many families in which 2+ children have a diagnosis to think its not genetic on some level...

sometimes one child has asd .. and a sibling may be diagnosed with aspergers, rather than autism itself.

Having said that - families that have more that one child, can certainly have a child who has autism, and a child who isn't (sometimes that second sibling can even be gifted??)

I know of a family of four, the oldest has autism, the second child is very smart, the third child is also smart and the fourth child has autism as well as other impairments.

sigh - its frustrating to not have a specific definable answer... :hugs:

[Twins Kelly]

What an interesting thread! I am adopted and know my biological family, but have no regular contact with them.
All 3 sisters have had kids with Austism and or aspergers.I also think that my eldest bro and sis have slight symptoms as well.
So with my boys arriving soon, it will be interesting to see what symptoms, if any, they display, as the environmental aspect is completely removed for us. By environmental I'm assuming they mean spending time with family that have the conditions.
And while I don't think I display any symptoms I do wonder if I'm a little OCD sometimes...as does DH!
Time will tell for us I guess!

[Tam-I-Am]

And while I don't think I display any symptoms I do wonder if I'm a little OCD sometimes...as does DH!
Time will tell for us I guess!

Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that there are a huge array and variety of symptoms - and every person is on the spectrum *somewhere*. It's to what degree, and how much it impacts their day-to-day living that determines whether it's disordered or not :)