autism

Leave a comment Posted on Autism

Parents of autistic kids ‘have autistic traits too’ according to this research. Do you agree?

Parents of autistic kids 'have autistic traits too'

Parents of autistic kids ‘have autistic traits too’

“Parents of children with autism are more likely to have autistic traits,” the Mail Online reports. The news comes from research comparing the families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with those that are unaffected.

Parents and children with ASD completed Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) questionnaires designed to detect traits known to be associated with the condition.

The study found the risk of ASD increased by 85% when both parents had elevated SRS scores. Fathers’ elevated SRS scores significantly increased the risk of ASD in the child, but no association was found with mothers’ elevated scores.

The study also found elevated SRS scores for both parents significantly increased child SRS scores in children not reported to have ASD.

But this study has several limitations worth noting, particularly that it relied on what the mothers said to determine whether a child had ASD. This means that some children reported to have ASD may not actually have the condition.

It could simply be the case that naturally shy parents brought up a naturally shy child. Such reporting could be considered to be medicalising normal human behaviour.

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of California, Washington University and other US institutions.

It was funded by grants from the US National Institutes of Health, Autism Speaks and the US Army Medical Research Material Command.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Psychiatry.

There is a potential conflict of interest associated with the study, as the Social Responsiveness Scale used in the research was devised by one of the lead researchers involved in the study, Professor John Constantino, who also holds the copyright. Every time a copy of the scale is downloaded or posted, the professor receives a royalty. This conflict of interest is made clear in the study, however.

The Mail Online picked up the story and overall reported on the study appropriately. However, the website failed to mention that the ASD diagnosis was mainly determined by reports from the mothers involved. The news story implies that a diagnosis of ASD had been confirmed by a qualified medical professional.

What kind of research was this?

This was a nested case-control study carried out within a wider cohort study called the Nurses’ Health Study II.

A nested case-control study is a comparison of people who have a condition of interest (cases) with those who don’t (controls). The past histories and characteristics of the two groups are examined to see how they differ.

This type of study is often used to identify risk factors for uncommon or rare medical conditions. A nested case-control study is a special type of case-control study where cases and controls are selected from the same cohort of people (and are therefore “nested”).

In contrast to non-nested case-control studies, data is usually collected in advance (prospectively), which means researchers can be sure of when certain exposures or outcomes happened. This avoids the difficulties or biases of participants remembering (or misremembering) past events.

Also, as cases and controls are selected from the same cohort, this means they should be better matched than if researchers identified cases and controls separately.

What did the research involve?

Participants in this study were part of a wider cohort study called the Nurses’ Health Study II, which included 116,430 female nurses aged 25 to 42 years when they were recruited in 1989.

As part of the wider study, these women completed questionnaires posted to them every two years since recruitment. In 2005 they were asked whether any of their children had autism, Asperger’s syndrome or another condition on the autism spectrum.

Current thinking is that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a range of conditions and associated symptoms. This can range from children with behavioural and learning difficulties (often referred to as autism) to children whose intelligence is unaffected but have problems with social interaction (known as Asperger’s syndrome).

The current study began in 2007. “Cases” were determined by mothers reporting ASD among their children. “Controls” were the children of women who did not have the condition. They were matched to the cases by birth year.

Of the original 3,756 women included in the study, the final analysis was performed on 1,649 participants. This was because some mothers failed to respond to follow-up questionnaires and some chose to no longer participate.

The researchers also excluded some participants, including those with missing information, mothers who failed to indicate they had a child with ASD on follow-up questionnaires, and any “controls” with ASD.

The main outcome of interest in the study was ASD assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The SRS is a validated questionnaire used to assess behavioural and social communication traits.

It provides a single score that distinguishes individuals with ASD from individuals who do not have the condition and those with other psychiatric and developmental conditions.

A small proportion of cases (50) had maternal reports of ASD diagnosis validated using a diagnostic interview called the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised. SRS scores for children and fathers were completed by the nurses, whereas the mothers’ forms were completed by their spouse or a close relative.

The SRS scores were then examined by the researchers, who used statistical techniques to look for associations with the risk of ASD among the children. The children’s SRS scores were also examined in association with the SRS scores of their parents.

In their analysis, the researchers made adjustments for several confounders, including:

child sex

child year of birth

maternal and paternal age at birth

household income level

race

maternal pre-pregnancy obesity

maternal history of depression

divorce status

What were the basic results?

A total of 1,649 children were included in the final analyses: 256 children with ASD (cases) and 1,393 children who did not have the condition (controls).

The main findings from this study were:

risk of ASD was increased by 85% among children when both parents had elevated SRS scores (odds ratio [OR] 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 3.16)

fathers’ elevated SRS scores significantly increased the risk of ASD in the child (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.38 to 2.71), but no association was found with mothers’ elevated SRS scores

elevated SRS scores for both parents significantly increased child SRS scores in the control children (an increase of 23 points on SRS)

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers concluded they found evidence that parents of children with ASD had a greater social impairment than control parents, as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).

They also found that when both parents had elevated SRS scores, this increased the risk of ASD in the child.

They say that heritability of autism traits was supported through significant increases in child SRS scores according to elevated parent SRS scores among children without the condition.

Conclusion

Overall, this study provides limited evidence of an association between elevated Social Responsiveness Scores (SRS) among parents and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their children.

As the authors note, the study has several strengths, including that it adjusted for several potential confounders, such as maternal history of depression and maternal and paternal age at birth, and used cases and controls drawn from a larger study (the Nurses’ Health Study II).

However, the researchers do note this wider study is not ethnically or racially diverse, so its findings may not be generalisable to groups outside of those studied.

The wider study was also only carried out in nurses and this may also limit the generalisability of the study.

However, despite these strengths, there are several limitations worth noting.

Self-reporting

ASD was predominantly determined via maternal report, so it is likely that some of the “cases” actually did not have the condition and instead had a milder condition, no condition or another condition altogether.

The authors did attempt to account for this by validating a sub-group of cases using a diagnostic interview carried out by a trained health professional. However, this validation was only done for 50 “case” children.

Incomplete paternal information

The researchers say they also did not have complete information on the fathers of the children (for example, paternal history of depression was not accounted for as a confounder). This may have affected the results.

Reporting bias

There is also a possibility of reporting bias in that mothers completed forms for children and fathers, and fathers and close relatives completed forms for mothers.

As ASD is thought to be associated with genetics (although environmental factors are also thought to be involved), the hypothesis that parental traits may contribute towards a child’s condition is plausible.

But it is also possible that some children grow up to have a similar personality to their parents. While ASD is a recognised neurological condition, being introverted and shy is just part of the wider range of human personalities. We should always be vigilant that we don’t start trying to fix problems that do not actually exist. 

Posted on Autism

22 Autism signs and traits in adults

22 Asperger's signs and traits in adults

22 Asperger’s signs and traits in adults

Common signs or traits of Apserger’s Syndrome in adults.

Many of the signs and symptoms in the list below may be hidden in adults. For example, adults with Asperger’s Syndrome may experience few angry meltdowns in public if they have learnt to avoid the situations that trigger them.

Additionally many adults with Asperger’s eventually learn how to ‘fit in’ by observing social behaviour and copying it.

1. Misunderstood – most people just don’t get you.
Feeling different or as if you come from another planet.

2. Sensory overwhelm – sometimes your senses are too sharp.
Sight, touch, sound, hearing and sense of smell may be uncomfortably strong at times.

3. Angry explosion meltdowns – may happen when triggered or feeling trapped.
Although you mostly avoid situations like this, it can happen that when overwhelmed or extremely uncomfortable you explode with rage.

4. Crying meltdowns – may happen when overwhelmed.
After exploding in anger you may feel distraught and cry uncontrollably.

5. Silent shutdowns – times when you can’t speak or socialise.
Sometimes you may prevent explosions by going silent and withdrawn. When this happens you want to get away from people and to be quiet until you are calm again.

6. Avoidance – not going places you imagine will be hard for you socially.
To avoid the meltdowns, sneaky avoidance habits may develop. There may be many situations you avoid out of the fear of being overwhelmed or uncomfortable. However, since the avoidance is sneaky it is often hard to admit it about oneself.

7. Head person – logical person who thinks and analyses.
You are pragmatic and make decisions based on analysis.

8. Pattern finder – the way you look at life you see patterns in everything.
Having the ability to connect the dots to come up with original ideas or ways of understanding people and the world.

9. Open book – when comfortable, extremely open and honest.
More open than people in general when feeling comfortable and accepted.

10. Bluntness and directness – your words are straight talking.
You favour literal and direct communication. You may be confused when people say things they don’t mean e.g. false politeness.

11. Normal friendship is alienating – feeling alone and empty when being friends in the normal way.
Being friends in the ‘normal’ way is either something that you can’t do or it is social behaviour you had to learn by observing.

12. Dissolving boundaries – when you find a friend boundaries dissolve. You may be too clingy or bossy.
Your ‘real friends’ are a joy to spend time with and they understand you. However, relationships with such people may be rare. Close friendships may lack healthy boundaries and you may have been described as cling, bossy or controlling by a friend or partner.

13. Awkward about social touch – you don’t really touch other people or if you do you don’t really like it.
The exception is that you may ONLY enjoy touch with your romantic partner. Otherwise social touch such as hugging, patting on the shoulder etc. is all stuff that has to be learned and forced, rather than comes naturally.

14. Monotone or hypnotic speech patterns.
Normal speaking voice is monotone or hypnotic.

15. Strong self-discipline – you keep to your chosen routines.
Extremely focused and dedicated to the things you chose to do or work on.

16. Mind going blank and empty – may happen when surprised or overwhelmed.
The feeling of the mind going blank is like a frozen empty pause in which the mind is not able to think for at least a second, though it feels like longer it lasts for longer inside.

17. Child-like imagination – a part of you never grows old.
When feeling comfortable you express a childlike quality, no matter what age you are.

18. Bad with hair – you just can’t do it!
Not good at styling hair. Hair may feel uncomfortable at times.

19. Eccentric interests – unusual hobbies or collections.
Has specialist research hobbies or daily activities. These can be about anything though are often something unusual.

20. Repetitive eating habits – you always eat the same thing or follow a rigid diet.
Either prefers to eat the same thing most of the time or follows a specialist diet that restricts certain foods. Chooses an eating plan for various health or personal reasons and then sticks with it (isn’t tempted to go off the diet like most people are).

21. Makes funny noises – when comfortable the sounds you create carry meaning in communication.
Plays with the voice and accent or speaks with sounds instead of words. When feeling comfortable and accepted may make wet noises, high pitched noises or other noises to express feelings in the moment rather than use words.

22. Inflexible about time and plans – may freak out if plans change unexpectedly.
Doesn’t like plans being changed. Lateness can trigger anxiety.

18 Comments Posted on Autism, Patient Talk

Autism – At what age did you tell your child or were you told you or they were on the autism spectrum?

At what age did you tell your child they had autism

At what age did you tell your child they had autism

It is an interesting topic which comes up both at the school gate and our our facebook discussion page AutismTalk (check it out here https://www.facebook.com/AutismTalk).

At what age do you tell a child that she or he is on the autistic spectrum?

In the case of our son John he attended a nursery school specifically for children with autism.  You can read more about the story here https://patienttalk.org/how-easy-was-it-to-get-your-child-diagnosed-with-autism/.  So pretty much he know from the work go.

That being said others have very different opinions on the subject.

So we felt that it would be useful to run discussion blog post on the subject.  So firstly we have created a poll to allow you to share.

Secondly we hope that you will consider using the comments box below to flesh out your story in a bit more detail.  We are sure it will help people dealing with this issue.

Many thanks in advance



JosephDSmith PamelaHorbach JosephDSmithActually, I would recommend you read up on Temple Grandin, a world famous diary farm designer, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s. This is her website, if the Moderators don’t mind me to post the link;

Her website: http://templegrandin.com/

Also, use your favorite search engine, such as Yahoo!, Google, or whatever, and type in the search term, with the quotes around it, “Autism resources”.

I hope that this helps.
PamelaHorbach JosephDSmith PamelaHorbach  is there something i could read and study tounderstand about it better,thanks for your help
Alaskagirl59 Replying to lady asking about social skills. Medication played a big part in reducing inappropriatebbehaviors such as flapping, twirling, sqeezing legs etc. He started therapy at a young age, 3, and we began the education process as soon as we found out working closely with his educators. He had a few close friends who he felt comfortable with in school, and each year the school kept those classmates together with him. He was given many opportunities to educate his classmates about his condition, and he also had adult friends and family members who accepted him. In High School, he wanted to participate in some sports so we chose (together), Cross Country Skiing and Cross Country Running and Riflery and Swimming: things he could do that didn’t require alot of team interaction. He maintained the same 2 Counselors throughout High school, and we set up e-mail communication for weekly progress. He also has very concerned and SOCIAL siblings who stepped up…in a nutshell, a nearly perfect environment as much as we could make it, with feedback immediately for any inappropriate behaviors and real consequences to help him develop a few healthy supportive relationships.
JosephDSmith PamelaHorbach I can still be a loner at times, but it’s only when I first meet someone. After that, I tend to open up, and never close.

I really only bettered my social skills when I turned 18, when I actually found out that I was autistic. I learned what it really meant to have Asperger’s, which gave me the opportunity to learn that my actions are often inappropriate, and it helped me learn why they were such. Before that, I had no idea that I was out of line, because nobody had ever explained to me why, and I was stubborn when I didn’t have an explanation.

You just have to meet your son’s individual needs, and if he is ever diagnosed, then try to let him know what his condition makes him do, and let him know what can be done better the next time in regards to what his autism makes him do.
PamelaHorbach What did u do to better your social skills be cuz my son is very shy and a loneR and he has never been diagnosed and I wonder ? We’re u shy and a loner? He’s 20 now and in college
Alaskagirl59 We knew something was off when he was an infant. He was scissoring his legs. Did not like to be held, but enjoyed hours in his swing. Could imitate the sounds of a car shifting at several weeks of age. Talked early but sounds of any kind that involved machinery like fork lifts caused him to scream and panic. When he began walking, he started running from place to place and posing and dropping to the ground. This he also did in the middle of the street and we had to grab him up quickly to keep him from being hit. All the while my wonderful caregiver filmed video of his behavior to bring to the various doctors that evaluated him. Chief of Pediatric Neurology at Tulane University Medical Center, Oschner Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital . Complicating matters was my husband’s diagnosis of Tourette’s and Aspergers. Finally, a preschool Summer Volunteer, who also happened to be a Kindergarten teacher with a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology, called me aside and helped me get him evaluated by a Pediatric Neuropsychiatrist and into therapy and treatment. Diagnosis: High Functioning Autism vs. Aspergers. There is of course more to the story than this brief communication. Last year, in his High School swim class, we nearly lost him when a classmate noticed him on the pool’s bottom. He was unresponsive, taken to the ER, and treated for drowning…a follow up EEG showed abnormalities but not necessarily a seizure….through his hard work, honesty about his condition with classmates and loving, supportive siblings, he begins his Freshman year at UAA ( University of Alaska Anchorage), with a concentration in biological sciences with hopes to make it through Vet school. Our story may not be typical, but it’s our story.
JosephDSmith BeckyMcCleveTraeger Good for you! Your son sounds like an angel, an angel with a passion for tolerance and respect. Most importantly, he knows the meaning of understanding. Before I knew that I was autistic, my younger sister Wendy was diagnosed with low-functioning autism before she was able to turn 3. Before she received her vaccinations, she was a normal-functioning little girl, doing things for herself, talking, and even singing, but when she was diagnosed with autism she lost all ability to function normally.
My point is, my little sister taught me early on the meaning of understanding of others differences and I’ve always advocated for those with intellectual disabilities. I was only 3 when she was born, so that is an early age for advocacy.
Thank you Becky for being a wonderful parent to your son, and for raising a fine young man. May you and your family be blessed, forever.
BeckyMcCleveTraeger Our son wasn’t officially diagnosed until he was 5 1/2, with Aspergers so I answered the poll “5-6 years of age.” We have always been open and honest about being “different” and why he had to do so many therapies.  I didn’t want him to be “surprised” by one day sitting down and having “the talk” with mom and dad…
I based this off of experiences unrelated to ASD.  Growing up a few of my friends were adopted.  The ones that “always knew” were much more adjusted and confident while the ones who were sat down and told later on.  They always seemed to struggle more.
Being open/honest has also helped with extended family members and friends.  It’s been 2 years since his official diagnosis and just 2 weeks ago, he spoke to his whole class about ASD and the challenges he faces (also the good things).  He is already beginning to self advocate.  We have had nothing but positive experiences in telling our son as early as we knew.
Lenadass My son is 7, and we just found out he has Asperger’s syndrome and/or ADD. Should we tell him he is special from other kids? What is the appropriate age to tell?
CrystalHatcher I have 2 sons with Autism. My younger son was diagnosed at 12, and he knew each step of they way what was going on. We talked about what it meant because I thought it was important for him to know that their is nothing wrong with him, that everyone is different in their own way. My older son was diagnosed at 17, a year after his younger brother and we told him as soon as we find out.
Ymkje Wideman I was the primary caregiver of my grandson for the first 6 years of his life. He was diagnosed while living with me at 3 years of age. He asked me one day, “Autism Is…?” when he heard me talk about his autism with a friend. I later explained it by writing a story/poem for him. He loved it and so did my friends. In 2012 I published it as “Autism Is…?” It is available here https://www.createspace.com/3809107 and on Amazon.com. Many parents have used it to explain Autism to their children on the spectrum and it’s great for siblings, too. I hope this is helpful.
xenagirlcat My brother was diagnosed at about 14 I think my family had to research each false diagnose and find the right doctors that could help us. I know one of the biggest problems we have is that my brother from his dad has multiple psychiatric issues.
ohree1720 My son was diagnosed at age of 3. We were in disbelief initially, but quickly came to accept it . We read as many books as possible to get up to speed on a subject we knew little about but had a major impact on our lives.
GWall I think when the child starts to notice it is a good time to tell them, especially if start they label themselves as a ‘Bad Child’. Just remember its a bigger deal for the parents, kids don’t know any different If they know from early on. Its when parents hide the truth it creates confusion and feeling of deception and insecurities in older children.
JosephDSmith If it weren’t for me looking at my application for Vocational Rehab, I would’ve never have known that I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. My parents would NOT let a single soul tell me that I was autistic, not even my therapists, or my school counselors. I was shocked that they never told me, and this was a huge problem, because when I was going into the 8th grade, I noticed that I was “different” than everybody else, so I started to wonder what was “wrong” with me.

This wondering became overpowering through the years, so I had to seek therapy, but still the therapists weren’t allowed to tell me what was wrong, so I even thought that maybe it was from using permanent markers, but the therapist told me that just smelling them won’t make you do that. I spent many years just focusing only on what was wrong with me, and this lead to developmental problems with learning. I was so frustrated, trying to figure out every which was what was wrong with me, that I never learned to develop fully into an adult. If I had known that I was autistic from the beginning, I would’ve learned to develop better social skills and I would’ve realized why my actions weren’t appropriate.

I hope you understand what I am saying. I am now going through a lot of psychological issues from the many years of stress. I was diagnosed at around 2 or 3 years old. My parents hid this from me, and I am just now learning to take better care of myself at the age of 25.

I love my parents to death, and I understand why they hid it from me, because they didn’t want me to limit myself and to think that I was dumb or any less important. I have no resentment towards them like I did two years ago. I would do anything to protect them and to make them happy, and we are especially happy for my younger sister, at the age of 22, who is low-functioning autistic; she is the center of me and my parents’ lives!
KathrynA My son, now 44, was diagnosed with pervasive development disability at age 4.  We didn’t know it was a form of autism at that time.  There were very few programs back then.  It is very hard now that he is an adult because he is highly functional.  He drives and holds a full-time job with good pay.  We could use services for him because he is often uncommunicative with us.  I hope that because of so much awareness now that more services for adults will come out of it as these kids grow up.
MandyTanner My son started showing signs at the age of two but was officially diagnosed a few days after his 3rd birthday. I am still so overwhelmed and trying to find more information to help me with taking care of him. Your forum/blog has really helped in some of the areas I need help. I am just glad to have answers after a year wait to get him diagnosed. Thank you for your help as well!
KatrinaBaldwin My son was formally diagnosed at the end of last year, at the age of 8.  I’m still coming to terms with it and trying to understand it myself and as part of the process feel that it needs to be talked about openly both in our family and publicly. For that reason I have just this last couple of weeks started discussing it with him. I think it helping us both.
Posted on Autism

Neighbors File Law Suit Calling Autistic Child ‘Public Nuisance’ – This made me furious – what’s your view?




Neighbors File Suit Calling Child With Autism 'Public Nuisance'




Neighbors File Suit Calling Child With Autism ‘Public Nuisance’

California neighbors sue a couple who they claim did not do enough to control their child with autism.