Published on 12, July, 2020
Is it possible that for none autistic parents have an autistic child?
so if parents and grandparents don’t have autism is it possible for the kid to have it? I’m only asking cos there’s a lot of discussion on ahem (Tiktok) highlighting autism is genetic (correct) but what is also being shown is that parents of autistic children are also autistic but in denial and a lot of the family members actually have traits… soo that leads to my question of can a child have autism when no one in the family even has traits of it??
Oh I agree that genetics is hereditary, but I do think other factors contribute, too.
But yes, not just a single gene, but some component.
Yes, they can. Neither of my parents is autistic- though my mum is probably neurodivergent in another way (dyslexia).
Autism is hereditary, but it's not as simple as one gene that makes you autistic, so it doesn't always get passed down directly parent to child. I'm not the only autistic person in my extended family (though I am the only person with an official diagnosis) so it must have a genetic component, just not one that's based on a single gene variant.
I think there's a lot of factors at play when it comes to autism, genetics and environmental, so can't 100% say it's down to genes, but lots of other things at play. In my family, my mum doesn't have autism, my dad is definitely autistic but undiagnosed. We believe my grandad was autistic, and we do have a few other family members who are likely on the spectrum. Genetics likely had a part to play in it, but got to think about incidental and environmental, too.
Third generation my grandad was autistic but was 94 when died people just thought he was old fashioned and awkward. I was similar as a child lacked concentration on thinks I didn't like perfection, awkward liked enclosed spaces and being under water likes music but only with head phones on had friends but as I got older I changed to fit in acted how they wanted me to act in my head it was like a puzzle as i got older and more responsibility I struggled more with burnout and going places my son is diagnosed and I am in the final process of getting mine. I think it runs in my mum's side
I'm open to a better way to communicate this term. Complex ideas can be difficult and while some days I'm more articulate than others, occasionally I just cannot find a vocal language for things...
Criticism is much more productive when presented with a better way to express/dp/communicate a thing :)
I'm sure that you will appreciate, as an autistic person who is also a molecular biologist, I could not let an 'autism gene' comment, even one in quotation marks, stand without clarification.
I'm the first and only Autistic in my entire family, immediate and extended.
It is most certainly hereditary. But it can also be incidental.
Someone has to be case zero after all.
The comment had two objectives. One, the quotes. As in "this is how people like to talk about a complex thing in simplistic terms". Two, the brand new theories are that it's just another part of every humans genetic make up, sequencing strand, if you like. What that means: everyone has the potential to have these differences in 'design' turned on (during formation in the womb).
There are these fundamental qualities when combined in a particular way, which are called autistic that express in billions of different ways depending on the individual.
The problem is, a good part of the population cannot explain the difference between Autistic and Traumatised, which is a shame. In the right environment, one will thrive, just like any plant, animal or other.
Just to be clear, there is no single autism gene. Autism is a polygenic (many genes) trait, like height. In very rare cases it can be caused by spontaneous mutation of a single gene, but this usually results in very deleterious outcomes to intellect.
In short, yes. Autism has a large genetic component, but there is an environmental aspect also. Identical twins (share the same genome) exist, where one is autistic and the other is not.
There are also genetic causes, where two non-autistic parents can have an autistic child. First, is genetic sorting, both parents can have autism related alleles (genetic variants), but not at the level to cause autism. But, both a particular sperm and a particular egg can be produced containing all or most of the autism related alleles the parents have. When the gametes combine to create a baby, that baby will have a higher concentration of autism related alleles than either parent had, and might consequently be clinically autistic. Second, is spontaneous mutation. Spontaneous mutation can occur, usually in meiosis during the formation of gametes, where DNA can be deleted, duplicated or transposed (moved) or point mutations can occur (individual DNA letters are changed), if such mutations happen in or near genes important in neurodevelopment or neuronal metabolism an autistic baby can result, neither of the parents being autistic.
According to geneticists, all humans have the “autism gene” in their sequence. It just needs to be switched on.
the problem is that most people confuse autism with trauma and don’t know how to recognise someone who’s thriving with differing personality traits and a more sensitive biology. 100 years ago we wouldn’t have needed to diagnose kids who appeared more shy or intellectual. Parenting was different. Society today has increasingly unreasonable demands and expectations that hold intelligent children back a grade if they’re not socialising properly, which is incredibly detrimental to all of society.