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Question re. Autistic adults having children

Jack

My eldest daughter, in her mid 20's, has Semantic Pragmatic Disorder.

She recently met a young lad who is aware of this but can see past it and takes her for who she is.

She disclosed to my wife that she doesn't want children, which is fair enough, though sadly followed that up by saying that they would probably have autism of one sort or another.

Is anyone aware of studies which have been carried out which can suggest if this is true or not ?

Many thanks

  • As someone who actually has Asperger's, and has struggled all the 40 years of his life, I feel obliged to say that the negative aspects, in my mind, in no way reduce the positive aspects of having Asperger's.

    I would have absolutely no hesitation in having children even if I knew that there was a 100% probability of them being on the Autistic Spectrum.

    It is not 'PC' to say that Autism makes the world a better place, in my opinion it's just a fact.

    However, your daughter has every right to make that decision.

    I hope she does not come to regret it, later in life.

  • Thanks Scorpion for a detailed reply.

    You're absolutely correct by saying it's complicated.

    I think my daughter is probably making the right decison.

    I could be very pc and say that her condition makes the world a better place etc.etc. but the truth is I've seen the tears when she's been unable to cope with seemingly simple things, how she's had to struggle with employees and employers alike, how she's had to deal with bullying and so on.

    Thanks again

    Jack


  • Twin studies show that if one of identical twins is autistic there's something like an 85% chance that the other one will be too.

    That suggests that there is a very strong genetic component to autism.

    Now, as for the question of whether your daughter is likely to have autistic children, that will depend on the father too!

    I don't think enough is known about the genetics to give likelyhoods, but lets consider some simple genetic examples.

    Say there are three genes A, B, C, which are all involved in autism. But, for example, having 1 means you're not autistic, having two means you have Asperger's, and all three gives you classic Autism.

    Now, even if both parents carry all three genes there is a chance that none of them will end up in the child, 1 of them will, 2 of them will, or all three will.

    It then gets even more complicated because many genetic conditions require two copies of a gene to be present (so both parents need to have and it needs to be passed on the baby from both), and others only need one copy.

    So, you see, having Autism doesn't guarentee you'll have autistic children, and not having autism doesn't guarentee that you won't.

    These things just change the likelyhood of having an autistic child.

  • Forrest Gump kid was not autistic,, okay just a good movie.

    But the ACTUAL future is not certain, it is only that the future that is be certain. YOU CAN NOT GET A 100% Genetic Probability of repeat..., that is why all the Nazi/Greek culling in past did not work,, exterminating the disabled, if anything it weaks the total dna genetic pool of humanity.

     

     

  • Thanks Mum of 3

    Now that's an interesting point. However, thinking of the small family that I come from doesn't actually reveal anything. My wife didn't know her father or his side of the family so who knows?

    Thanks

    Jack