Is it likely I will have an autistic child?

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I am not autistic but my brother has asperger's and my dad has traits. I would like to know is this genetic and does it mean I have a higher chance of having a child with autism/asperger's? Thanks!

Its a crap shoot, as with anything else. You don't have it apparently, and neither does your mother. My sister doesn't, nor do my parents, and I have only one cousin who's been diagnosed and my family is pretty large. So, no, I'm sorry to say having one or two family members with AS doesn't mean you will be blessed with an Aspergian child. That is what you're hoping, right? That you'll be gifted with a smart, detail-oriented child with a unique way of looking at the world?

'Cause I hope you're not thinking that a child with Asperger Syndrome would be some awkward freak whose existence would embarrass and burden you.

That is a simple question without any simple answer. The National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke states "In families with one child with ASD, the risk of having a second child with the disorder is approximately 5 percent, or one in 20. This is greater than the risk for the general population. Researchers are looking for clues about which genes contribute to this increased susceptibility. In some cases, parents and other relatives of a child with ASD show mild impairments in social and communicative skills or engage in repetitive behaviors. Evidence also suggests that some emotional disorders, such as manic depression, occur more frequently than average in the families of people with ASD." http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/auti ... autism.htm

That implies that the chances of your children being autistic are not as high as the chances for another child of your parents because you are not affected, and because your partner will probably not be affected.

There are some more links with more technical answers here http://answers.google.com/answers/threa ... 64147.html

I've asked this very same question since accepting that I may have AS. My question stemmed from the fact that both my husband and I are suspected Autists, as well as both of my brothers and my mother.

I have since decided my toddlers probably are not on the spectrum.

Just like Willard said, it is a crap shoot. I am NT, and my husband is NT with some AS traits. Our son has mild AS. After looking at my husband's side of the family, I see several members that exhibit AS traits. As far as I know, there is no one that is diagnosed though except my son. I think the possibility is there, but I would not let it stop you from having children if you really want them. You do have to ask yourself if you are willing to accept the possibility of autism, or any other disabillity for that matter, before you go into being a parent.

Best of luck to you!

There was an episode of the doctors that showed a family that 3 kids that were normal and four who had different forms of Autism. They were planning to have one more kid so they could have another normal child that will be able to help take care of the extra autistic child. I guess they wanted four autistic children and four NT children to creat future care givers when they are gone. So sad.

I don't think your kids will necessarly be Asperger.My mom,my dad and my little brother are all NTs,and no one in my family have Asperger syndrome,not even some small traits...

Yes. Yes, it is. You don't have kids just so you'll have extra hands to help around the house. Plus, they're basically tying their NT and autistic kids together. What if they want to go out on their own and not live together as adults? Talk about control freaks.

My brother is an Aspie and I have an Aspie daughter. It is related I believe.

Besides my brother I don't see any true Aspies in my family although we are all shades of different. My grandmother's family had many suicides and bi-polar (could this have been Autism back before it had that label?) for generations. My aunt is psychotic and so agoraphobic she never leaves her house. My dad is an engineer and a loner like me-so perhaps he has shades too. Well now that I've written this all out it's no surprise I have an AS daughter!

I'm curious, what about someone with proven ADHD and other traits? I noticed, interestingly, that compared to my dad (who is where the ADHD came from), I seem to move closer to the spectrum (and MIGHT be on it--PDD, perhaps, but doubtful that it's any more). I'm curious, why did it seem to intensify/distill more in me compared to my dad?

I find myself wondering if it'll go even further in my future child, should I marry--because I think my odds of marrying someone either with ADHD, or an Aspie, are probably high.

Personally I think that would be a very interesting relationship--and probably JUST what my parents meant when they said, "I hope you have one JUST like you!" (In all seriousness, one of the things I dread is not being able to relate to a future child, and I think a child on the spectrum or with ADHD like me would be more relatable and I think we would have a fuller relationship.)

I don't know if I was having a child and they did a genetics test and it turned out my kid would have Aspergers and ADHD like me I would be devastated that I doomed my child to go through the same hell I went through as a child. Hell I am 40 and I still have a hard time making eye contact with people I do not know. What type of life is that. I would homeschool the kid coupled with sports teams like soccer, football, hockey, and definatly boxing or martial arts so he/she would get some social contact and avoid the majority of the tormenting I went through. I know they will encounter some bullying in their sports teams but its not as bad as school.

If I were to have children, I'd deal with whatever I was blessed with. God only gives you, what you can handle. Autism need not, be a bad word.

Except for the god part, this is how I feel. Of course, I already have two children. lol

I had a vasectomy fairly early as an adult. At the time I had huge debt. I had serious mental health issues but I did not know anything about autism at that time. My sister is adopted so I am a strong supporter of that. My brother did eventually have a child, so I am her uncle.

I was born in 1969 and my mother did not have amniocentesis available to her. My mother is extremely pro-life. I am extremely pro-choice.

I have made some horrible mistakes as a son or brother. All in all I hope I have made a positive difference in the life of my family.

I'm the only one diagnosed in my family but traits run in my family. My dad, my little brother, my mother sort of and my parents have said about my grandma having it and my uncle may have it too. Plus my little nephew has traits I hear and my niece since she is so picky about food. My cousin could have it and my aunt too.

I might have a kid with it or he or she might just have traits or maybe none.

good luck