If Autism is Genetic, are We All Related?

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I was thinking, does this mean we all have a common ancestor? Is it a combination of both genetics AND environment?

What you think?

God created Adam and Eve, so were all related in some fassion.

It could be possible.

Tracing back to that one same ancestor is going to be a challenge.

So were Adam and Eve Aspies then, if it is genetic?

My wife is from Northern Michigan, 4th generation for most of that family, her paternal grandmother came her from Sweden at age 4. My family was Scots, German, Irish, English from Virginia/West Virginia-3rd to 5th generation. No apparent connections. The first time she got pregnant (by me) she miscarried. We cried, and decided to try again later. The second time, she miscarried. The doctors said "it happens, try again". The third time she miscarried. "Oh, this is strange but it happens, try again." The fourth time she miscarried they referred us to a neonatologist who did in depth genetic tests, mainly checking out HLA factors, Human Leukocyte Anitgens. The things they check for rejection factors in a transplant, among other things. There are a number of different factors, and each has variations... usually enough variation that the organ would be rejected in a transplant as "foreign". Ours are almost identical. So much so, she is a better donor match (and vice versa) to me than an identical twin would have been. Our family trees are completely different, yet these all match up? They said the chances were literally billions to one, but "It happens".

They sent us to the University of Miami genetics facility, for a federally funded study they were doing on repeated miscarriages and HLA matches.... The same thing happens to other people, just rarely. The doctor there told us they theorized the woman's body need to see the fetus as "foreign" and send antibodies, etc. This triggers a response in the placenta, making it grow fast enough that by 10 weeks, when the woman's kidneys stop overproducing a hormone required for fetal development, the placenta can take over. If it doesn't, the fetus dies... They took my blood, centrifuged out the white blood cells and serum and injected it into my wife's forearm like an allergy shot, dozens of little injections just under the skin. They did this twice, a month apart, and told us to wait at least a month before trying. The treatment would be effective for a year. Our oldest son was born 11 months later. Luckily, they said that birth, acts like a booster shot treatment. About 10 months after our first was born she was pregnant with his brother and carried him to term as well. Since then... 5 more miscarriages.

The first question the geneticist asked us; "Is there ANY chance you're at all related?" We told her it would have to be back several hundred years... and she said that might be close enough. So, are we all related?? The things that happened to us are supposed to be really rare... and yet I've heard of it happening to others on the spectrum... Either it's not that rare, or we seem to be prone to it. If we came from a small genetic pool to begin with, that would make sense.

Yes. We are just one big dysfunctional incestuous family. I thought you knew.

Hi cousins.

AspieDave, I have read about that, totally unrelated people having DNA too close for bearing children.

AspieDave - I am sorry. That's heartbreaking. Of course, one can not know definitively the cause but you may have a correlation. Unknown. However, even 1st cousins can successfully breed. So many variables w/ genetics.
Still, very tragic for you and family.

I'm white. My wife is black. Back quite a few generations, though, we're linked through the Davis family of Wales.

(Her Scottish ancestors also fought mine in the Jacobin Rebellion, and my ancestors were awarded some of her ancestral lands. Fortunately, she doesn't hold a grudge...)

The mutations are probably so old that that they have had time to spread into all populations. The farther you go back in time the larger the area of the regions where everyone shares ancestors; so most Western Europeans have Charlemagne as an ancestor and most Chinese have Confucius as an ancestor. I would actually not be surprised if the mutations actually pre-dated modern humans and spread with modern humans as they spread out from Africa 60,000 years ago.

Hmmm... I'm a big mix of Eastern European, Western European, and Puerto Rican. I'm playing it safe by marrying a Hmong guy

Could be.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmpNlEcVPjo[/youtube]