My child has ASD, will my next child have it too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every doctor in the world will agree that you cannot have a genetic childhood epidemic...it simply cannot exist. There are environmental triggers involved.

There is no epidemic. Studies have shown that current rates of autism are the same as in adults and the older populations - they just weren't diagnosed. So the actual number of cases hasn't increased but the number of kids being diagnosed has.

I agree with this. I have been teaching for 35 years. Yes, more children have ASD than 35 years ago, but the behaviors haven't changed, just the ability to accurately diagnose what these behaviors indicate.

You are talking in circles. Even the CDC acknowledges the rate change. I am 39...when I was growing up, we had ZERO non-verbal children in the entire school. Now, you're hardpressed NOT to find an entire rooms of autistic nonverbal boys in each and every city. And you're going to tell me that this was just as much of a problem back in the 70s and 80s? That's total bullshit and you know it.

Even an article on WebMD, referring to the CDC, written way back in 2002, acknowledges the increase in prevalence. And, it's gone up since then.
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20021231/cdc-autism-rates-higher-than-thought

May of this year...."Rates of autism, ADHD, other disabilities on the rise, CDC says":
http://www.mlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/05/rates_of_autism_adhd_other_dis.html

October, 2011..."Autism rate triples among K-12 students"
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/autism-rate-triples-among-k-12-students-8488

I could keep going......

[Anonymous]

I almost doubt the person who posted prior is indeed a veteran special ed teacher because EVERY veteran teacher I have spoken with is alarmed and says they didn't have so many kids with these issues.

[Anonymous]

http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/5/459

"Conducting epidemiologic research on ASD in adults is feasible. The prevalence of ASD in this population is similar to that found in children. The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant. Adults with ASD living in the community are socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized."

We didn't have inclusive school systems decades ago. Kids who were non verbal or who had significant developmental delays didn't attend school with their peers.

[Anonymous]

To answer simply, based on the study released this August, if you have a boy the chances are 26% of ASD recurrence and if you have a girl the chances are 9%.

[Anonymous]

If I had known the extent of #1's problems before having #2, I'm not sure I would have had a second. I am sooo glad I did, though. #1 is an ASD boy and #2 is a NT girl. She has been so good for her brother. He plays well with her and she engages him the way most adults can't. It's obvious how much he loves her, even though he doesn't really express it in words. He is very protective and gentle with her. They are appx. 2 1/2 years apart. She is extremely verbal and I think it's been wonderful for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/5/459

"Conducting epidemiologic research on ASD in adults is feasible. The prevalence of ASD in this population is similar to that found in children. The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant. Adults with ASD living in the community are socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized."

We didn't have inclusive school systems decades ago. Kids who were non verbal or who had significant developmental delays didn't attend school with their peers.

Then there obviously wasn't the numbers of autistic children to create a demand for schools to pick up the slack.

[Anonymous]

Then there obviously wasn't the numbers of autistic children to create a demand for schools to pick up the slack.

In the 70's, nearly all kids with developmental disabilities were educated in separate classrooms or even separate schools run by the county school system. There was little or no inclusion, unlike today. It was truly an "out of sight, out of mind" era. Also, back then there were many more stay-at-home moms so you didn't see many children with ASD in daycare or the classroom, since most were at home with Mom.

To answer OPs question, it's possible that the next child may have an ASD - or something else, like cancer, or a heart defect. Or, they may be perfectly healthy and extraordinarily talented. When you have a child, you're rolling the dice. I have an ASD son and an NT daughter, but there are still no guarantees in life. No matter how hard I try, my children could still not measure up to my hopes and dreams for them. You do the best you can do, and that's all you can do.

[Anonymous]

OP I responded to you in your other thread, but in case you didn't see it, I will copy it here as well:

We have two children with autism and are currently pregnant with #3. DC1 was 13 months old when we got pregnant with DC2. DC2 is a girl and both kids have HFA. We did consult with a geneticist after receiving the diagnosis for #1 and he confirmed that there was a higher risk for autism in subsequent children, but according to his report we had a 13% chance of having more than one child with autism.

We are very much aware that we are risking to have another child with autism, but we are taking the risk. Both children thrive with lots of early intervention, and while they will never be neurotypical they are definitely going to make their way in life with lots of help from us.

We also had extensive genetic testing done to rule out Fragile X and other genetic disorders that can mimic autism.

[Anonymous]

I believe that autism is caused by the interaction of genes and environment. I believe there is an environmental factor, but that vaccines isn't the environmental factor we're looking for. It's possible that it's PCBs in the environment.

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2007/04/5564/class-pcbs-causes-developmental-abnormalities-rat-pups

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/5/459

"Conducting epidemiologic research on ASD in adults is feasible. The prevalence of ASD in this population is similar to that found in children. The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant. Adults with ASD living in the community are socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized."

We didn't have inclusive school systems decades ago. Kids who were non verbal or who had significant developmental delays didn't attend school with their peers.

Then there obviously wasn't the numbers of autistic children to create a demand for schools to pick up the slack.

They attended separate schools and programs. And Asperger kids attended regular school and were seen as or or eccentric.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer simply, based on the study released this August, if you have a boy the chances are 26% of ASD recurrence and if you have a girl the chances are 9%.

Given these statistics, has anyone with a child on the spectrum undergone sex selection for subsequent children (given that the chances are so much less with a girl)?

[Anonymous]

I agree with PCB's, PP. Also, no one has mentioned advanced maternal age. People are clearly having children later in life. We have to consider all factors that have changed in the past 30 years, not just what is "convenient" for us.

[Anonymous]

I am the PP with the two autistic kids. I had my kids at 25 and 27, one boy one girl. My DH was 27 and 29 when they were born. So much for statistics.

[Anonymous]

OP, I would look around your family tree. Sometimes kids with ASDs are total anomalies, sometimes there is an obvious family trait. My family is the latter and although my oldest is NT and its my 2nd who has an ASD, there are enough relatives whom I now understand have ASDs that I decided not to have a 3rd. If I didn't have the larger family issue, I wouldn't hesitate.

Even with a larger family history, the odds are that subsequent child will not have an ASD. But the odds would be greater if your 1st was a genetic anomaly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, you are an idiot. Study after study has shown that vaccinations don't cause autism. It's probably caused by the interplay of genes and environment. We're don't know what the environmental factors are, but the science is pretty clear that it's not the use of vaccines.

OP, your risk for having a second child with autism is 5%. It's higher than the general population. Lots of families have second kids without an ASD. Some families have multiple kids with ASD. My first has ASD; my second is NT.

This post does not advance the discussion. I would be worried if I were you, OP. I would look at everything you did with your first child and see if there is anything you can change to reduce your child's risk. If your child had some symptoms that occurred after vaccination, I would look into reducing the number of vaccines, spacing them out further, maybe using titers to determine immunity rather than boosters.

I don't think vaccines cause autism, but I've looked very closely at some of those studies the PP is referring to, and they do manipulate the data in ways that I found questionable. That's why I would proceed with caution as far as vaccines go.

But, I'd also look at other environmental factors. How toxic is your own body? Do you have mercury amalgam fillings? How is your diet? Exposure to pesticides? Do you use ChemLawn, household chemicals, personal care products with toxic ingredients like pthalates?

Do you live near a golf course? Do you have carpeting in your house? New furniture? All sources of toxins that have not been tested on children. But they add to the toxic stew we live in -- add vaccines to that toxic stew, and some kids get pushed over the edge into ASD, allergies, asthma, IMHO.

Is there a history of autoimmune diseases in your family? Parkinson's? Rheumatoid arthritis? Allergies? Are there any engineers in your family?

If so, and with a history of having an ASD child, your second child is probably at risk, moreso if you have a son because there are more boys than girls with autism.

I would also be extremely careful about the use of antibiotics in your child. Avoid eating meats that are fed antibiotics. Eat organic food and feed your baby organic, local food.

Antibiotic use kills good bacteria in the gut, which can cause all kinds of problems. I think overuse of antibiotics is a cause of ASD, but that's me. Feed your baby a good probiotic, like Culturelle, but there are many others.

Cleaning up your home and body before having another child sounds like a lot of work, but having an ASD child is even more work. It's all sensible, anyway, as organic food and a toxin-free home environment is healthier for everyone in your family including your ASD child.