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Is asd hereditary

NAS79493

Hi, I'm new to this page.

My 12 year old daughter is currently on the waiting list to be assessed for asd/adhd. It's very clear she has one or both. Thankfully the ep picked up the social communicator disorder amongst other things. 

Camhs have said it will be 18 months before a diagnosis so plan to hopefully go private. She has other ailments too. She's extremely great at masking alot of things. She cannot maintain friendships, has social, emotional and communication difficulties- hence the reason for the much needed assessment. 

I am curious to ask also if asd is hereditary? My brother has high functioning autism and adhd and sister is on the asd spectrum but she is still going through tests. They are on my dads side of the family. My partner has recently said that he notices that I am very meticulous and like to have things in order, have a routine, know what is happening ahead of things etc, and my stepmum asked me if I have ever been tested because of my brother and sister. I'm now overwhelmed if the chance of me having it is high and if so is it hereditary and my daughter has it because of me. 

Any help or advice would be appreciated. 

Parents

  • I had read that it comes down through the male side of the family, but who knows?

    If someone has it in the family, there are bound to be others. My daughter has ADHD and Autism, and I am Autistic. My mum has just accepted she is also Autistic, but isn’t bothering to get diagnosed. 
    There are many in her (my mums) family that are likely Autistic, but they are 70+ and have probably never even heard of Autism. 
    My sisters youngest is Autistic, and we suspect another sibling is, but is not requiring a diagnosis. 

    On my fathers side, his brother is Autistic. A sister is schizophrenic and a niece of his is likely Autistic.

    Thats just for starters lol.

    You shouldn’t think Autism is a bad thing to pass on. I can safely say I wouldn’t change if I could. Remember, it’s a difference, that is all.

    As for you, you might well have ASD. Or, as a relative, you might just have similar traits that aren’t actually Autism. The thing is, how much does it affect your life and mental wellbeing? Can you function very well without the need for downtime? Do you have meltdowns? Are shutdowns hard to come out of? How is your social life? Do you have friends? 

Reply

  • I had read that it comes down through the male side of the family, but who knows?

    If someone has it in the family, there are bound to be others. My daughter has ADHD and Autism, and I am Autistic. My mum has just accepted she is also Autistic, but isn’t bothering to get diagnosed. 
    There are many in her (my mums) family that are likely Autistic, but they are 70+ and have probably never even heard of Autism. 
    My sisters youngest is Autistic, and we suspect another sibling is, but is not requiring a diagnosis. 

    On my fathers side, his brother is Autistic. A sister is schizophrenic and a niece of his is likely Autistic.

    Thats just for starters lol.

    You shouldn’t think Autism is a bad thing to pass on. I can safely say I wouldn’t change if I could. Remember, it’s a difference, that is all.

    As for you, you might well have ASD. Or, as a relative, you might just have similar traits that aren’t actually Autism. The thing is, how much does it affect your life and mental wellbeing? Can you function very well without the need for downtime? Do you have meltdowns? Are shutdowns hard to come out of? How is your social life? Do you have friends? 

Children
  • in reply to Catlover

    Boys/men have always been more likely to be diagnosed because the criteria is skewed for the classic autism that boys/men exhibited.  That might make it look like its a male-line thing, but it isn't as mothers can pass it down, as seems to be the case with your family.

    Once a family has the first diagnosis of autism, it can snowball because awareness of autism means it can be spotted in siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  Though whether each of them would meet the criteria for a diagnosis or not is another thing.