How Much of Autism Is Inherited?

I am certainly not an expert but the few kids I know that have had various degrees of it had perfectly normal parents with no history of autism or other mental illness.

THE POSTER BROUGHT UP MENTAL ILLNESS, NOT ME.

"His sister also has signs of OCD and anxiety, as does my husband".

She implied the other couples mental health and possible genetic tag for Autism were hindering her from choosing to have another child. I don't think the sisters mental health issues have anything to do with Autism to begin with but evidently this poster does so I answered her about that component specifically.

Gamma G, autism is not a mental illness. It is a neurological disorder.

BB, a genetic counselor can tell you up to date info about what is known about any genetic component of autism. I work in special education, and have had numerous students on the spectrum, the overwhelming majority of these children had neuro-typical parents.

My personal belief is that genetics load the gun but the environment pulls the trigger.

I would test for MTHFR mutation - you and your husband - and read about that (and not just with mainstream docs).

Some people cannot detox as easily (thanks to their genetics) and now that we live in an extremely toxic world, with ever more invasive medical practices - this is a problem for certain genetic profiles.

Therefore I don't believe that autism is purely genetic, though genetics are involved.

I love Ken Bock's book "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics . . . "

I'm not a health care professional of any kind - just a mom who has dealt with some of these issues personally. This is JMO.

My son is in the moderate/run of the middle kind. He was diagnosed this past August, and his developmental pediatrician said that we have a 1 in 4 chance of having another child with autism. My husband has a lot of signs like your husband. His mom's side has at least 2 people with it, and my family has a lot of seizures, dyslexia, and phobias, along with depression, so I guess it makes sense that we would have a special little boy.

Anyway, there is a genetic marker for 1 type of autism that they have found and can test for. I don't remember what it is called though. Sorry. I know that they think now it might have something to do with week 5-8 gestation, but they aren't sure. There may also be a connection to mold, which is why it seems to be very prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. But, in the end, they don't really know.

I like the way our massage therapist for our son said it: He isn't broken, he doesn't need to be fixed, he is just wired differently in the brain. He is perfect they way he is. That really meant a lot to hear. I hope that helps.

I have always heard that Autism is both inherited and environmental. Make sure you stay away from heavy metals (like murcury in fish), lead, etc., if you get pregnant again. Make sure your gut is healthy. Seriously. Leaky gut syndrome contributes to hundreds of diseases/issues, such as Autism. If you have Candida yeast, get rid of it before you become pregnant! Do an all body detox/cleanse, and then buy a Candida yeast kit (if you think Candida might be an issue for you). Have your husband do the same (detox/Candida kit). It all starts with a healthy gut, trust me. Two of my kids are high functioning Autism, and one of them eats gluten free (for a while, they both ate GF and dairy free). One of them has severe eczema, and eating GF helps with it. Good luck with whatever you decide!

My middle daughter has Classic Autism and related disorders, and my eldest daughter has ADHD and ODD which I've always thought of as spectrum-y. Both have Sensory Processing Disorder.

There's heavy, heavy evidence of Autism as well as other neurological disordered mental illness on my mother's side of the family. There's Fibromyalgia on my mother's side AND father's side, and I have it as well. There's also evidence of neurological disordered mental illness on my husband's side of the family as well as family-wide seizure disorder (which my middle daughter has).

There's a connection (correlation, not causation) of Fibro and other immunological disorders and Autism. The same has been said about Depressive Disorders, other neurological disorders and Autism. You often find the in the same family and you often find people that have Autism with dual/multiple diagnoses.

With every single friend and acquaintance I've ever come across that has ASD, they've had a remarkably similar history. There's nearly always a strong family link.

A genetic counselor would be the best person to speak with. Your Ob/Gyn should be able to refer you to one. They will map out both of your family histories and let you know about your chances, where they can.

There could be a strong genetic link, but I feel it's more environment. My little sister has it and no other family history of it.. so I'm not sure. Hers is pretty severe too :/

would you consider Adoption?
I think that is the absolute most beautiful gift you could ever give a child.

I would still ttc but meet w a genetic counselor. I did.