ADHD / Aspergers / Autism

[Hayley90]

Hi, i posted this in first tri earlier, but they suggested you might be able to help me

this is a bit of a complicated one, but i wanted an outsiders view before i ask the MW on thurs & risk upsetting my fiance. If anyone has experienced this i would be VERY GRATEFUL to talk to you!

When OH was younger, he had *very* mild autism, highlighted by his severe ADHD (full meds & special schooled - still terribly behaved!) and Aspergers Syndrome (its like *severe* obsessive compulsive disorder, coupled with autistic traits & the inability to cope with change - even a traffic diversion would set him off!!! along with bad behaviour, which is what caused/highlighted the ADHD)

my question is, (aside from the autism) are any of these traits passed on from father to baby? i know autism can be carried through families, but his (we think) was mis-diagnosed by a doctor who knew little of Aspergers syndrome (always very closely linked with Autism), or simply a by-product of Aspergers - can this be carried over?

If there is somewhere better to post this in the forum, let me know, but i want to know the basics before i speak to MW -

the internet is very sketchy surrounding things like Aspergers & ADHD - a lot of people still just call them "naughty children" !! and my new-found dislike for googles scare-mongering tactics leaves me no option but to post!!

Thanks everyone

 

[soon2b6]

Autism and Aspergers are the same thing, just a different age of onset(autism is from birth and AS is from 5,6,7 something like that) The traits ARE the conditions, there is no other medical test so diagnoses are based on the symptoms displayed. I think there are definate genetic links with all these disorders inc ADHD. I have 2 children diagnosed with autism, one undiagnosed with autism and one with ADD, I believe my OH has AS and there are also people in my family who seem to have autism of some sort, so thats why I think its genetic, I know lots of people who think its random though.

 

[morri]

Autism and Asperger are in principle the same, they are on the scale what is now called 'autism spectrum disorder'
Have also heard that it is hereditary, but I don't know the chances though.

 

[coccyx]

My nephew has Aspergers, less of an issue now, he is 20 and studying law at uni. Think there is an Aspergers society. Not sure its hereditary as such more a familial tendency.

 

[velvetina]

Hi hun.

My son is on autistic spectrum and one of my best friend's son has Aspergers. They are part of same spectrum, and while aspergers was once thought to be very high functioning autism, it is now recognised that is not quite the case. While they can exhibit very much of the same traits or impairments on the triad (social, communication, imagination), aspergers is a diagnosis in itself which you can see when you know people on both. You do often find in both parents or relatives who are on the spectrum. In my friend's case her partner has suspected asperger and I myself think my friend is slightly on the autistic spectrum herself. Her son was diagnosed at 4, actually earlier than my son who was far less able.

An excellent book to read is by Tony Attwood, that will give you a real insight into aspergers and I can guarantee by the end of reading it you will have insight into whether you think oh is affected.

Saying all that my lovely, please try and stay calm, I know that is easy to say. But having one autistic child, and watching my 2nd like a hawk to the point of not enjoying him grow because I was so worried all the time (and here I am doing it again).
This does not mean that your child is going to be affected even if oh is on the spectrum.

The spectrum has of yet no genetic tests but there are many diagnosing tools for professionals and parents. It is a huge field and I have been reading about it for 11 years now, it is vast and seem very overwhelming, and there are a lot of misconceptions about it as well. The national autistic society website covers it all and would be a good place to get some impartial and clear advice, with just facts and correct information. They also have a helpline.

I know what you mean about the naughty children label, and I have been particularly firm with eldest with behaviour and manners and it has paid off. It was hard because he didn't understand and did do things because of his autism, but if anything boundaries and discipline are even more important if harder to parent because the challenges are so much greater.

Take care . x

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Hi, autsim and aspergers are on the same sprectrum. I am not sure about genetics but all the males in my family under 15 have asd. x

 

[glow]

ASD,Aspergers are one of the same but lots of children have ADD or ADHD with it .I have a son originally diagnosed with adhd then changed to aspergers.Have read some really good books the best being written by Tony Attwood and another by Maxine Aston.,not only do they help with the affected child but those possibly affected, it certainly has made me look at my OH in a different life and in many ways has made me more tolerant. Maxine has written one for couples!!! The more you read the easier it is to understand. Look after yourself,it takes alot of patience and our darlings need us.

 

[morri]

I can agreethat thebooks by Attwood are really good

 

[radiofreejenn]

My son has Aspergers and his father(not my DH) does as well. I honestly think some things are passed on through genetics, but not always. In my sons case, he is extremely high functioning, although not all with Aspergers are.

I agree that books by Tony Attwood are absolutely amazing. Go to your local bookstore and just take a look through one of them and you find more information than you could ever find on the internet.

My son is 6 and still gets very easily upset if his routine is changed in the least and does have the OCD tendencies still, but not as bad as a few years ago.

 

[JASMAK]

My daughter has PDD-NOS which is one of the five on the ASD scale. For PDD-NOS they do not know what causes it. My husband is adopted so we do not know his background at all. I have a son who is fine. I was told 1 in 500 chance for this pregnancy.

 

[kittylady]

Hi, I have AD/HD and aspergers syndrome diagnosed at 11 and 13 respectively. Aspergers is on the spectrum but its not autism which can have learning difficulties which aspergers people don't tend to have. It is not 'naughty children' I have never had problems with my school or got a detention, although it exhibits itself differently in the female population. My mother found that she could control my condition through diet and I try to have no processed or little sugary foods and completely cut out fizzy drinks.
I have heard there is a 25% chance of passing it down to future generations if it is genetic and scientists are trying to discover the genes responsible. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I think I got my AD/HD from my Dad's side and my Aspergers from my mothers side (though she doesn't have it herself)

 

[Justagirlxx]

They haven't proved either way that Autism is genetic hun so I wouldn't worry too much.

IMO with 1 out of 150 children being Austism spectrum, how can it be genetic? I have never met one autistic person in my generation (obviously showing there were much less). Autism rates have literally exponentially increased, to me this proves their must be another cause.

 

[morri]

Well you maybe didnt know they were on the spectrum, tThere are a lot of undiagnosed adults out there.It is not exactly genetic as with syndromes, but it is genetic in the case if your dad and grandad had already features that are common in Asperger, then it is more likely to accumulate into later generations.

 

[Justagirlxx]

yeah you definitely have a point that maybe they are underdiagnosed until recently. but still, my generation it was was 1 out of every 20,000///even if it were 50% greater than that would be 1 out of ever 10,000 // which would mean every single autistic person would have had to produce over 100 children each and pass it down to every single one of them to have the statistic we have now. (my math is off but you get the idea) im just saying they havent proved its not due to environmental factors which i think must be the case!!

 

[bodacious]

They really have no idea what causes it. Theories range from something in vaccines to mercury in fish to even a type of genetic abnormality similar to what causes down syndrome, although obviously not trisomy 21. Even if it does end up being at least partially genetic, there's no point worrying about it. It will likely be years before you ever find out, and like someone mentioned earlier, it will cause you to miss out. Even if your baby does turn out to have some form of autism, its not the end of the world. You won't love him any less. Just try not to worry about and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and your baby.

 

[rubyt]

Hi there,

I hope you don't mind me joining in here. I've been pretty sure that my partner has Aspergers for some time now, the more I read on it, the more it matches some of his more bizarre behaviours. It's not an easy relationship and I have often thought of leaving because of his rigidity and rages. I'm now pregnant, 15 weeks, and full of very mixed up feelings. I'm thrilled to be pregnant but so so scared that this baby will have Aspergers too. I know this is a terrible thing to say but I'm scared I won;t be able to bond with a child with Aspergers. Living with my partner is sooo difficult at times. How will I ever cope with possibly 2 people with this condition, the impact it will have on my life makes me terrified. Then I feel so horrid for having such bad thought about my baby. Please if anyone has any advice or words of sense to help me get my head round this. I feel terrible to have these bad feelings towards my unborn baby but if it carries on like my partner, it will be so very very hard.

 

[JASMAK]

I think that it is caused by environmental factors such as pesticides and air pollutions. There may be a genetic link that predisposes a person, but I think that something "triggers" that. I am avoiding pesticides...kind of hard to avoid air pollutions.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I wouldnt worrying about bonding with your child hun. I think you and your child willhave a fabulous relationship. I know I do with my son x

 

[rubyt]

Thanks both for your replies. Had a difficult weekend with my partner and spent too long on the internet last night and started to tie myself up into knots.

Emzymathruby, your words were exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you! I know I will love this baby no matter what and it's reassuring to know you have such a lovely bond with your son. Was there a genetic link that you knew about or was it just a random thing?

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Well after looking into family history we have found that my cousins have ADHD and a distant relative with autism but nothing close linked really so it almost came out of no where.

I find my son more loving than alot of boys his age. I think its just because he needs me more kind of thing. They do test you (alot!) lol and push you to the limit but you know they are not doing it on purpose and you will get that rush of love. I know alot of parents of ASD children have AMAZING bonds x