is it possiblity and likely i have child on spectrum?

[smiley1590]

how much of possiblity is that i'll have a child on the spectrum when i have children as i have AS dyspraxia myself? wondering if my children will go through simliar things to i have personally experienced and if possible want to save my children from heartache pain hurt etc you feel

 

i also have an auntie and cousin on my mum's side that has AS and dyspraxic traits! so does this increase my chances at all? would i get support if they were? who from what kind professionals like social worker? i heard stories of girls having AS and having children with severe autism? if i had 'normal' partner does this mean that could go either way in genetics factor? would i get my children taken away from me for having AS/MH probs? is there any way i could know my genetic counselling when have a partner if this could happen?

 

i worry so much over the fact this could happen again it scares me! at least i'd get them understand so much what it about and know how to help and support them much more than my parents had chance with me growing up!

 

has anyone on here AS girl/lady that has severe autism child/ren or AS child/ren? that could share their personal situation and experiences/story with me i'd be grateful!

 

many thanks

XXKLXX

 

[bid]

how much of possiblity is that i'll have a child on the spectrum when i have children as i have AS dyspraxia myself? wondering if my children will go through simliar things to i have personally experienced and if possible want to save my children from heartache pain hurt etc you feel

 

i also have an auntie and cousin on my mum's side that has AS and dyspraxic traits! so does this increase my chances at all? would i get support if they were? who from what kind professionals like social worker? i heard stories of girls having AS and having children with severe autism? if i had 'normal' partner does this mean that could go either way in genetics factor? would i get my children taken away from me for having AS/MH probs? is there any way i could know my genetic counselling when have a partner if this could happen?

 

i worry so much over the fact this could happen again it scares me! at least i'd get them understand so much what it about and know how to help and support them much more than my parents had chance with me growing up!

 

has anyone on here AS girl/lady that has severe autism child/ren or AS child/ren? that could share their personal situation and experiences/story with me i'd be grateful!

 

many thanks

XXKLXX

 

My dad was identified as having 'mild autism' at the end of his life by the local mental health team.

 

I have a dx of AS. My eldest son has AS, ADHD and dyspraxia.

 

So definitely for me there has been a genetic link. I didn't know about my dad or myself when I became pregnant with my eldest son (although I knew we were both very 'different!'). But I went onto to have three more children after my son's dxs.

 

The thing is, I guess it's impossible to know what may happen. My mother and one of my brothers has an hereditary neurological disorder that effects mobility...but I have been tested and I don't have it, and I'm not a carrier. On the other hand, my two youngest have severe multiple food allergies, which again is genetic I think as my brother shares this too.

 

It will be a personal decision for you. You should be offered genetic counselling these days I think, something I was never offered.

 

Bid

 

[smiley1590]

thank you bid for reply really interesting i hope that will be offered some genetic counselling! i know be personal choice of what ever i decide! so even if baby hasn't got AS could get another spectrum disorder like ADHD , etc ? my mum thinks personally my AS was down to being born too early 3 months and i was very sickly baby i nearly died in hosp spent 3 months in hosp! my mum does believe maybe my cousin and my auntie has Dyspraxia and AS but not as bad as i've got it!

 

my cousin tested years ago for dyspraxia and came negative but pretty sure in my own mind she has! we so alike! more like 3 sisters with the signs than actual auntie and cousin it weird! my auntie and cousin would NEVER NOW GET tested for both they accept it as them! my cousin getting married soon! my auntie disorganised explodes into anger/get easily upset she forgets things losts more my cousin clumsy etc

[katie123]

My brother and Dad both have mild Autism as does my son, the hospital wanted to do some sort of blood test on my brother and son to see if there was a genetic link, I've never got round to getting it done though, I have 6 brothers and sisters and we are all fine (sort off!), and a son and daughter who are not affected.

[smiley1590]

so i won't REALLY know until i have a child whether i have a child on the spectrum somewhere!? so COULD go either way? COULD i be carrier?

 

thanks for sharing your experiences (personal) to your family i appreprciate it!

[call me jaded]

DS has had a huge amount of very expensive genetic testing done as he is extremely interesting to the geneticist. All tests normal. They must have some more money for research because they've just invited us back again.

 

Genetic counselling's not much use. Because they were sure there is something genetic they gave us a 1 in 4 chance of having another child like him. We went on to have 3 more children who weren't, so I think they got it right.

 

 

[Sally44]

It is only when there is something 'different' in any family that the prospect of a child with differences or difficulties is thought about. But anyone can have a child difficulties whether they are physical, mental, cognitive etc. So everyone is in the same position really.

And even those 'normal' children can grow up and become drug addicts, criminals, etc. So you don't know how any child will turn out and what kind of life they will have.

I have an older sister with learning difficulties. I was concerned prior to starting a family that it might be genetic. But the doctors at the time re-assured me that I had as much chance as anyone of having a child with difficulties.

Then my second child was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. Then you start to look at both sides of the family closer and start to ask some questions. Having done that there are lots of things going on on both sides of the family. There are even genetic conditions we didn't even know about!

Now doctors have told me that when you have anything in the family, that increases the chances of a second person having a difficulty. If there is a second person that increases the risk more and more etc.

I will have these discussions with my daughter as she gets older, as my mum never even thought about any of this with me.

But we all make decisions based on our own experiences. For example, my mum married at 16 and had 2 children by the time she was 18. She drilled into us how we should get a career before we thought of children. I did that, and then found I had fertility problems and had to have treatment to even have my two children. I would have liked more, but I simply ran out of time (from a biological point of view!). So what advice would I give to my children - I don't know yet.

 

[pookie170]

You just can't tell, can you? Conception is a total lottery......

F'rinstance, (and this might seem blithe, but I'm just glad my first son actually looks very like his dad.....read on!!)

I have dark brown eyes, and the kids' Dad has hazelly eyes. Bubs #1 comes along and opens his wee peepers for the first time and we're met with cloudy gray irises peering at us in a most miffed manner....

Midwife explains that his eye colour will 'come in' in the next few days, reckons they look like they'll be dark (how?...)

Okay, fine. So, imagine my surprise when he opened his eyes the next day and I found eyes as blue as the sky looking back at me!

I cannot begin to tell you how much convincing it took for the ex to believe that darker eyed parents can have a blue eyed child. The ward sister went and got a book when she got fed up of listening to another (bad) genetic lecture from me......I think it was the stammered Mendel and the pea plants explanation that really confused the issue though....(and his Dad too, by the looks on the faces!! Har har, indeed!)

 

Thing is, even if you're told you have a 1-in-4 chance of conceiving a child with a particular condition, it doesn't mean that only one out of every 4 kids you have would be affected. You could be really lucky, and all 4 would be fine. Or perhaps 2 would be affected.....Sadly, all 4 could be affected as well though......

 

Sally's comments made me think......a girl in my brother's year at school became pregnant at 14 or so, and was having twins. All went well, but after the birth it was discovered one baby had Down's syndrome and the other had developed cerebral palsy, probably before the birth. She knew of no relatives who'd had Down's before her child....it just goes to show how capricious nature can be. Both babies (rather older now!!) were delightful last time I saw them, and were surpassing all expectations and thriving. Bless their little cotton socks!

 

Personally, I just take what I'm given. There's a fair possibility that I'll be a carrier of an M.S. gene....god forbid, but I might even develop it myself one day, but I wouldn't blame my parents for it. I don't even know if there are genetic tests for M.S. yet, I don't even know if I want to know, IYSWIM?

As for the AS, I dunno......I'm certainly certain that the cause of my lads' AS is organic in nature, his behaviour even as a 6 month old probably contained little hintettes that I missed at the time. But it wasn't long before the suspicion dawned that he was a little bit different. And I can pinpoint many AS traits when I think of my father, possibly even his mother as well, but it's mere speculation.

 

My buddie's SIL is a big chief head honcho midwifey, and she says when you consider everything that could go wrong in a pregnancy, you really do look at every birth as a wee miracle. I think she might be onto something.....