Keeks asked:
my boyfriends sister has autism. i was just wondering what the chances would be of our children inheriting it?
my boyfriends sister has autism. i was just wondering what the chances would be of our children inheriting it?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Right now, there are no known cases of Autism, that has been passed down genetically. Research suggest that genetics may play a part in some cases of Autism. At this point, they really can’t determine what it’s caused by, and whether it’s hereditary or not.
Pretty small. Are there other risk factors? Any history of giftedness, dyslexia, bipolar, ADHD, alcoholism, allergies, bowel disease?
there are no direct statistics about an aunt having it, but there are stats for having a 2nd child with it, once you have first and they are 3-8 percent, so definately no more than that.
So far, there is significant evidence that implicate a genetic connection in Autism. Many studies have displayed that parents with Autistic family members have a higher chance of giving birth to an Autistic child. There is, however, no single gene that is responsible, and it is speculated that there may be other factors that influence whether a person will be Autistic.
I have not found any estimate for the chances in your specific case, however the following is correct to the best of my knowledge:
—-If you have one Autistic child, the likelihood of another increases by ~3-7%.
—-If you have twins, and one is Autistic, the likelihood of the other is between 75 to 90%.
There is also a higher prevalence if one of the parents is Autistic.
Basically, I can not provide you with a definitive answer, except that you do, statistically speaking, have a slightly increased chance. All the probabilities in the world can mean nothing, though. I come from a highly neurotypical (non-Autistic) family that was convinced (by whatever means doctors use to predict gender before birth) I would be male. Against the odds, they got an Autistic female.
You never really know what you’ll get in life. You just make it the best it can be, whatever it is.
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