If I am on the spectrum then some of my family are too. I see it in my Mum and certain aspects of my youngsst brother due to his childhood.
My mother initially did not think that I was on the spectrum or she was. Now she is a little more accepting that it was ok to ask a doctor to be assessed. Strangely, as it took me too years to ask due to mindblank moments where I just clammed up and couldn't speak so I spoke about other issues to make my mind work again... The time that I did manage to ask I brought my mother in with me so if I clammed up she could speak. If it wasn't for her saying that I struggled to stay in a job and currently could not work (Which she said when I had hit mindblank so I was unable to speak) that I don't think I would have been able to give any evidence that I may be on the spectrum as I did not know a lot and was going by a "Hunch" that I might be as quite a few friends and complete strangers had suggested or asked if I was.
The doctor doubted they would accept me on the little evidence we hasd said but she put me forward anyway which I'm greatful for, and the autism team must have picked up on something as I am on the list.
Now to me my Mum and her sister remind me so much of Aunt Silvie on the 1987 film called "Housekeeping" and my childhood life was greatly enriched because of it. You see, my Mum is a lot like me. It was rather odd and interesting growing up because my Dad was very different. He would get sudden tempers on occasions but apart from that, he was a good Dad. He had the amazing ability to be able to talk away to complete strangers and be invited into their homes and I would be standing outside too frightened to come in and think to myself "How does he do that? He has never met them before!" and they would be trying to get me to come in and be most kind to me based on my Dad. It was wierd as my Dad wasn't highly intelligent and had many flaws (Don't sons know the flaws of their parents!!! Haha! I do miss him though since he died), but somehow even though he had flaws like smoking etc, they didn't mind and allowed him to smoke in their houses etc. But strangely, we all thought my Dad was the one who was not quite so normal and we were all normal (Please excuse me using "Normal" as it is how I felt back then and can't think of other words), but now, looking back I realize that it was more likely that my Dad was the only normal one in my family!
My Mum says there is no point in her being assessed at her age as she is a pensioner and it will make no difference, but she does agree that I do need to be assessed for my future, as I can't carry on not being able to work if she wasn't there. (I keep hitting burnouts when I have tried working in recent years).
But looking at my family, I believe my Mums mother was very likely to be on the spectrum. She had a history of being nurvous and not coping in life. She was very loving and often gave her all. But often she was in a daze due to medication as doctors didn't know about autism and aspergers in those days, so due to this medicated daze, it taught my Mum and my Aunty to be very independent people. My Grandad on that side was wonderful. A designer who designed a few things you see today. Wasn't just designing as his official title was a "Developments Engineer" which meant he would design a product and make it work, and then often go further to design ways in which the product could be manufactured etc. He would work long hours because though he was on a reasonable wage, my grandmother would often have run up big bills with shops and so my Grandad had to do many hours of overtime to pay them off.
But anyway. I do wonder that if I am assessed and found to be autistic, how many others from my family and relations (The few who are left) would also be on the spectrum themselves?