I'm pregnant with a baby girl & am scared to death of autism. It seems to be more prevalent in boys, from what I've read. Does anybody have any clue why?
I was told the reason we have MORE Autism, is because Doctors are Now Diagnosing more and more, even the slightest, minor so-called DIFFERENCE in a child and their attching labels to them.
There has been so much on the Interent you have to be carefull decifering the fact from fiction...
The whole to "VACCINATE or Not" debate is raging like wild fire...We havnt vaccinated little Tyler. We are still sitting on the fence with that one...Your best bet, is to do what you can while your pregnant, that is eat healthy, stay away from pesticides and chemicals, dont smoke and drink, stay off Medications, and get as much Natural Nutrients into your body so they can be passed along to the developing baby.
Read, read, but keep an OPEN MIND.
Dont OVER STRESS as this has been proven to affect an unborn child.
Check out my website www.xooma.ca This is what I used before and during my pregnancy , and We incorporate it into Tylers Formula as well...
Dwell on how beautiful your baby girl will be. Don't think of what might go wrong. I believe our children sense these things. It is what it is and you will deal with whatever the outcome when it is time. Now, enjoy the miracle of life and relax. She is going to be an amazingly beautiful child. Spend time with friends. Don't fret. All will be well. Hugs.
Hi Erika
I have a 3 and 1/2 year old who although has some autistic traits is NOT autistic. To worry and stress the what if is only going to make things worse and get you stressed out even more. While pregnant just do the healthy things, ie no drinking etc...There are alot of "myths" about autisim, what "causes" it. but a myth is just that...a myth. All kids are different (same as adults) we all that different likes, dislikes etc...when your daughter is born except her for who SHE is not what your stressing out about. NOT every child is autistic. Is it more prevalent in boys...thats a myth..if this is really bothering you talk to your obgyn or google autisim. there are some great sites out there that will give you the facts. In the mean time...just enjoy the pregnancy..
Denise
I have a son with autism. Yes, it is far more common in boys. Nothing you do during your pregnancy will affect your chances of having a child with it.
Erika,
Yes, it is more prevalent in boys. I read a study that said that estrogen protects nerve cells from heavy metals. Another study said that people with Autism had high levels of testosterone. So, sex hormones play a role. Watch your fish intake. Read up on the fish that has low mercury levels (smaller fish) as it can accumulate in your body and transfer to the baby through the placenta. I think that some babies are born with high levels of mercury because the mother had high levels and it transfered to the baby. Then some people vaccinate their babies and the vaccines used to have mercury (and still have aluminum) and that adds to the baby's heavy metal load.
Just be careful of your fish intake (especially tuna and swordfish). Fish is good for you, so don't avoid all fish.
Congratulations on your pregnancy - don't worry - enjoy this time!
Deborah
I have to agree with Anita. Please don't worry or start labeling your baby before she's even born. Some say Autism is more prevalent in boys but also there are A LOT of people who think boys are labeled with ADHD, Autism and a host of other disorders just because they are behaving like boys are supposed to.
I had some people suggest my son had ADHD, even I wondered at one time (tested..he's not) but what I found interesting is a lot of the "symptoms" of ADHD are also symptoms of high intelligence.
If you're interested in the boy's phenomenon and you're looking for something to read, check out "The War Against Boys". You can read the first chapter here
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/sommers-war.html
There's also an excellent article here about what has been occurring over the years with our boys.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201334.html
I am a grandmother to a 16 yr. old girl who has high functioning Autism. She is doing extremely well in school, and while she will always require someone to look after her best interests, there are many aspects to her life that she'll be able to manage independently. I can understand your anxiety, but there is nothing you can do to prevent autism during your pregnancy. It is also true that there is greater incidence of autism in boys, and noone really knows why that is true. Lots of research being done now, and of course the "Autism Society" has lots of valuable information for those seeking help and support. I can tell you that having our granddaughter in our lives is a constant source of delight and amazement. Her Dad is doing a fantastic job of raising her. No matter what you are confronted with, there is always hope and help.
Probably has to do with us girls having two X chromosomes and poor boys having only one. We live longer too. More boys are born and conceived than girls but by adulthood we even out the numbers. I believe the recent increase in autism is better diagnostic programs. Early intervention and treatment can work miracles. Very few require the old style full time custodial care of last century. There may be a genetic component in some families. It may be a prenatal thing like exposure to something or lack of something. Nobody knows. Don't stress out about it unless you have several relatives with autism. There is no prenatal screening for it. Autistic brains are different and can sometimes be identified with a brain scan. Why are you so scared? What aren't you telling us?
The extensive research out there suggests that certain genes and chromosomes may have something to do with early onset autism. I have a high-functioning autistic boy, who contracted the condition after receiving his MMR immunization at three years old. We know that the shot caused my son's developmental challenges, so the genetic aspect doesn't apply in our case. With the epidemic of autism occurring, other factors such as immunizations, toxins, mercury, chemicals, food preservatives and dyes, etc. can contribute to this condition. My personal opinion is that no baby should be immunized until one year of age. The baby is far too young to handle the chemicals/toxins that are injected into their precious, tiny bodies. Immunizations used to be administered one at a time; now they are "bundled", which causes more of an assault on the immune system. By the time a child reaches 12, s/he will have been immunized with up to 50 immunizations! Many doctors and schools will try to persuade you to immunize immediately and often. The immune system is strengthened with exposure to basic viruses and illnesses. Now, the medical community wants to immunize against everything. Take care of your own health first; that will transfer to your baby. Do your own research, use your God-given intuition and PRAY. God bless and congratulations on being a Mommy soon!!
It is more prevalent in boys, I want to say more common by 75% but that could be wrong.
No one knows why, they think estrogen may protect girls from it.
Hello, I research and write children's books on autism. First of all, no sense worrying about your future bundle of joy...enjoy your pregnancy and the birth of your daughter. ENJOY IT!
However, to answer your numbers question and for the sake of the Mamasource blog...Just for information sake, autism is now diagnosed in the US by CDC at 1 out of 150 children, but that includes an entire spectrum ranging from very intelligent, yet socially quirky kids, all the way to more severe autism. Statistics are 80% boys, however, girls are underdiagnosed, because autism can be harder to detect in girls.The differences between boys and girls sometimes enables girls to disguise some of their autistic behavior which makes it harder for parents to get diagnosis. There was a recent program on ABC News with the Sakai family about this http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Story?id=4177353&page=1 - Here is the site. Diagnosis is important for parents to get the appropriate services for their children.
That said, again, you are pregnant. Enjoy your pregnancy and welcome your new bundle of joy! No need to worry about something. Worry won't help anything and your child needs a stressfree mommy! Best wishes on your delivery!!
Joanna Keating-Velasco
www.AisForAutism.net
A Is for Autism, F Is for Friend - A Kid's Book on Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism
According to my brother in law who is a child psychologist, girls tend to fall more in the middle of the road in terms of intellegence. On the other hand there tend to be more boys that are geniuses, but also more boys that have learning disabilities and autism. That might explain it.
In the meatime don't eat fish. We're all told to avoid swordfish etc, but avoid tuna too. There's a lot of mercury in fish these days and mercury tends to be related to autism, though supposedly no one knows what causes it.
Heather
I too was and still am very worried about this with my daughter as we are older parents adn that increases our risk. So far, so good as our daughter is highly connected to people at this stage in her life and the pediatrician thinks that we are okay....
However, my husband works at CHLA and I'm also in healthcare and what we know is that gene therapy and research is showing that autism may take root on the X chromosome so girls can balance out the equation by having an X and a Y chromosome. My advice is to concentrate on what you can control and enjoy the moment - each day is a blessing with our three month old and if you worry too much, you miss the joys....
Not necessarily. I new a family who had 4 kids 3 girls and 1 boy. All 3 of their girls were autistic. I know that the media keeps tring to steer people away from vaccines being the cause of autism, but they are also being paid out by the AMA. Please read The Sanctity of Human Blood by Tim O'Shea. It helped me make my decision.
Hello Erika,
Yes, autism IS more prevalent in boys, but you still need to be prudent with girls as well since autism affects 1 out of 150 children now. There is a good book called, "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. I highly recommend this book. There is a suggested immunization schedule in the appendix. Your doctor will put pressure on you and will tell you to "stick with the schedule he/she has" Don't listen. You need to protect your child and many doctors disagree about whether these immunizations contribute to autism. Remember that the blood brain barrier is not well established in babies. I believe that autism is being caused by a number of things. The toxins in our environment, from the air and from our food supply along with immunizations contribute. The immunizations should be delayed longer, separated, and spaced out. It's too much overload of toxins to their little systems. Try to give your baby all organic food and you eat organic if you're nursing. The key is keeping your baby's immune system as strong as possible, especially in the days before and after immunizations. Of course, never have her get a shot if she has a cold (even if still getting over one) or if she has a temperature. I give my son mercury free fish oil, and liquid vitamin C, to boost his immunity before and after shots. If you want to talk more with me about this, my e-mail is [email protected] Good luck!
Erika,
You need to enjoy your pregnancy and not worry about what could or could not happen. What if this is the last baby you will ever be able to carry? Enjoy the life you have and be happy. You will have a beautiful baby.
Nina
Yes, it is more prevalent in boys. Unless you have a family that has a lot of autism, I wouldn't worry about it. I had it tucked away in my mind as I was preg. but didn't dwell on it. It turns out my daughter shows signs of autism, but my husband has two first cousins from different uncles that have daughters with it. I have read that they believe there is a link in certain families and traits from families that may make it more prevalent in certain families. For us it happend, and I wasn't worried, and was young when I had my daughter, but seriously you get what you get, and you will probably have a kid that is unaffected. If you do have a child with autism, you can work with them, they just require a lot of patience. Don't worry about it now, you will love your daughter no matter how she comes, she is your daughter!
Erika-
The diagnosis of Autism is more prevalent in boys. However there has been recent studies that suggest that girls are simply misdiagnosed more often because of the complete lack of information the medical professionals have as to how girls who have it act toward others.
However, there is something that you need to realize. Worrying about a potential problem before you have any reason to is going to drive you nuts. STOP IT! You cannot live your life scared of what might be, becoming a hypochondriac will only ruin your pregnancy and the bond it creates between you and your baby.
Heather Stanley
Yes Autism does accure in boys 4 times more often than girls. There is no test in the pre-birth range to identify whether a child could have Autism. You shouldn't be afraid. Now, there is 1 in 150 children diagnosed with Autism but The chances of a normal birth are great. I have 2 children of 2 different fathers my oldest girl is 18 and perfictly normal. My 4 year old girl has mild to moderate Autism. Just be on the look out for the markers and keep watch. If you feel anything is wrong seak help and advice and don't let the doctors put you off with Oh they are just a late talker or we will wait and see. Demand a evaluation. Early introvention is the Best thing to do.
Good luck in your pregnancy and I'm sure the baby will be fine. But it is always best to know all the facts.