What Genetic Testing May Tell You
Genetic testing cannot tell you anything definitive about autism at this point; it may be able to tell you about some other genetic conditions, should you be concerned. One of these tests may inform you of:
- The chances that your future children may develop autism.
- What kinds of services and treatment may best benefit your child.
- Other health issues or concerns related to the genetic mutation that caused your childs autism. Some genetic disorders have been associated with autism. These include tuberous sclerosis, benign tumors that grow on the brain and other organs, and Fragile X syndrome, a condition that causes intellectual disabilities.
High Levels Of Fetal Testosterone
It has long been noted that the prevalence of Autism seems to be stronger in boys than in girls. It does not mean that girls are excluded from Autism, but instead that higher numbers of boys are diagnosed than girls. Science has indeed confirmed that the trait is male-typical, although not exclusive. The study says that high levels of testosterone in the amniotic fluid may be related to certain variables of brain function, like cognition and behavior. The information was compiled from routine amniocentesis. These findings confirm a previous hypothesis that Autism could be related to the male sex hormone. The theory states that children with extreme male brain, babies exposed to too much testosterone, show a reduced capacity to empathize and a stronger urge to systemize. Researchers say that this test was too small to be conclusive and that a much larger study is necessary to confirm the link between over productions of testosterone in the amniotic fluid and Autism.
Scientific Data Indicate Intelligence Comes From The Dad
The chances of intelligence coming from the father, or both parents, has scientific leverage. The assumption intelligence comes only from the mothers is a myth that neo-feminists would want to perpetuate.
- Around;20% of the genes;scientists currently associate with mental retardation are located on the X chromosome.
- Mental retardation, such as autism, is associated with GENIUS or too much intelligence.
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Reasons Autism Begins In Pregnancy
These days it is pretty hard to make sense of everything we see in the news and through social media. With so much contradictory information, inflamed personal views, misinterpretations, and assumptio
These days it is pretty hard to make sense of everything we see in the news and through social media. With so much contradictory information, inflamed personal views, misinterpretations, and assumptions about Autism and what causes, it can be easy to have our judgment clouded. Many of us are left wondering what the truth is and what isnt. While there are many beliefs and stigmas surrounding the definitive reasons that we are seeing an increase in Autism diagnosis, there has never been one single source identified as the culprit. According to experts in the field, there are many potential causes of Autism, but one thing that many of them have in common is a link between the disorder and pregnancy. Science is telling us in so many words, that Autism probably begins in the womb, in most cases.
The verdict is still out, about whether or not we can control, suppress, or even prevent the causes that are linked with Autism. The truth is, we just don´t know yet. But, if you are interested to know what medicine and science have unveiled about pregnancy and Autism, it is best to compile research from reputable sources like medical journals and scientific studies.
This Is A Great Time To Parent A Child With Autism
“I am grateful that we live in the times that we do. So much new information has been discovered about autism. We live in the age of the internet and I can connect with another autism mom who lives several states or even countries over and talk about our shared experiences. I am grateful to have things like iPads that not only help my son communicate but also gives us a chance to share a moment while watching one of his favorite YouTube clips. A tip of my cap to the families that went before us. They really helped pave the way for the benefits my son has now. I hope I can do the same for the ones coming behind us.”
Eileen Shaklee, Wall, New Jersey
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Inclination To Be Overweight
The inclination to;be;overweight or;to;be;fit is;inherited genetically. Some peoples weight and waist measurements are based on;genes about;25% of;the time. People who try to;combat extra weight often inherit it;from their parents. In;situations like these, it;is;really hard to;lose the extra pounds. But even in;this case, a;reasonable diet and physical activity will be;beneficial.
The inclination to;be;fit or;overweight can be;equally inherited from either parent, but the inclination to;be;fat is;inherited more often than the inclination to;be;fit.
The weight of;a;child depends solely on;their mother. It;doesnt depend on;how much a;father weighs, a;child will be;thin if;a;mother is;thin. And if;a;mother is;overweight, her child may have extra weight right after birth.
What Age Does Autism Usually Show Up
Some children show ASD symptoms within the first 12 months of life. In others, symptoms may not show up until 24 months or later. Some children with ASD gain new skills and meet developmental milestones, until around 18 to 24 months of age and then they stop gaining new skills, or they lose the skills they once had.
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Quit The Guessing Game With Sneakpeek Traits
Despite the research, pinpointing exactly how your kid will turn outand especially why theyll turn out that wayis like finding a needle in a haystack. Comparing Mom and Dads traits will allow you to make educated guesses but to learn about your childs traits, youll need to look at his DNA, not yours. And for that, you can use the SneakPeek Traits test.;
While you wont foretell if your daughter gets into Harvard or your son wins a Nobel Prize, you might be surprised at just how much valuable information is written right into their DNA.;
- Height as an adult
- Hair color and texture
- And so much more!
Information about your babys traits is only a quick cheek swab and lab test away. Theres no reason to spend the next 18+ years musing over their future when you can find out earlier than ever with SneakPeek Traits. If only the test showed whether your kiddo shares your inquisitiveness and curiosity, too.
NPR. Which Genes Make You Taller? A Whole Bunch Of Them, It Turns Out.
Family Education. 8 Traits Babies Inherit From Their Mother.
New York Times. Why Do We Inherit Mitochondrial DNA Only From Our Mothers?
Family Genetics Study Reveals New Clues To Autism Risk
- Date:
- University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine
- Summary:
- A study of almost 2,400 children with autism, their parents and unaffected siblings has provided new insights into the genetics of the condition. Researchers found that certain inherited mutations that truncate the formation of proteins were more common in children with autism, compared to their unaffected brothers and sisters. These gene variations were more likely to be passed from mothers with no signs of the disorder to sons, who then developed the condition.
A study of 2,377 children with autism, their parents and siblings has revealed novel insights into the genetics of the condition.
The findings were reported May 11 in Nature Genetics.
Significant progress in the past five years has been made in identifying the genetic risks for autism, particularly by finding that newly appearing gene mutations can contribute to the risk of autism. These mutations are called de novo because they appear in the child but not in either parent. Not all cases of autism however, can be attributed to de novo mutations.
To try to learn what else might confer genetic susceptibility to autism, researchers examined risk from other types of mutations, including those inherited from the mother or father.
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Can Autism Be Passed From Mother To Son
The findings fit with a theory called the female protective effect, which holds that it takes more genetic factors to lead to autism in women than it does in men. In this case, women who have mild traits of autism may pass down autism-related gene variants to their children, without having autism themselves.
Autism Linked To Inherited Gene Mutations Particularly From Dad
Scientists use whole-exome sequencing to pinpoint autism genetic link.
Autism Linked to Father’s Age
April 4, 2012 — Joslyn Gray, 38, of Drexel Hill, Pa., resisted her pediatrician’s recommendation that she have her 4-year-old son tested for autism. She didn’t think he fit the classic description of autism.
He showed emotion. He showed affection toward her. That wouldn’t be possible for someone with autism, Gray believed.
“I didn’t understand what autism was and the vast spectrum of the disorder,” said Gray, who blogs for Babble.com, a Disney-owned online parenting magazine . “I got him evaluated because I didn’t want to be seen as a mom in denial.”
Gray’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome — a higher functioning form of autism — at age 4. In hindsight, Gray said she could see how his symptoms progressed until his diagnosis, and his diagnosis prompted her to have her daughter tested too. Two years later, in January 2012, her daughter, now 10 years old, received the same diagnosis as her brother.
The latest statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that autism spectrum disorder increased by 23 percent from 2006 to 2008 to include nearly one in 88 children.
Experts said the growing numbers reflect an all-encompassing disorder that just as often includes children who speak or don’t speak, make eye or don’t make eye contact, recognize their names or not.
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Where Does Autism Come From When It Doesnt Run In The Family
Autism genetics expert Ivan Iossifov breaks down recent research that sheds light on how unaffected parents can pass autism onto their;child.
A quick Google search for autism causes is all it takes to learn that scientists believe the disorder has a strong genetic component. So if theres no genetic history in the family, where does a childs autism come from?
A key fact has come to light within the last couple of years: many autism-causing genetic mutations are spontaneous. They occur in the affected child, but in neither parent. Mutations in this category are not directly inherited from the parents, explains Assistant Professor Ivan Iossifov, one of several CSHL scientists who has pioneered the study of the role of spontaneous mutations in autism causation.
A childs genome is a patchwork stitched together from the genetic cloth contained in the mothers egg and fathers sperm. In theory, that means that children are cut from exactly the same cloth as their parents. But in reality, there are virtually always small factory defects in that clothmutations that spontaneously arise during the sperm or eggs creation.
Spontaneous mutations cause as much as half of all autism in situations in which only one child in the family has autism. This and other analysis comes from a study Iossifov published in 2015. He and his team looked at about 2,500 families with a single affected child and investigated the causal link to spontaneous mutations.
Biomarkers In Fathers Sperm Linked To Offspring Autism
PULLMAN, Wash. Biomarkers in human sperm have been identified that can indicate a propensity to father children with autism spectrum disorder. These biomarkers are epigenetic, meaning they involve changes to molecular factors that regulate genome activity such as gene expression independent of DNA sequence, and can be passed down to future generations.
In a study published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics on Jan. 7, researchers identified a set of genomic features, called DNA methylation regions, in sperm samples from men who were known to have autistic children. Then in a set of blind tests, the researchers were able to use the presence of these features to determine whether other men had fathered autistic children with 90% accuracy.
We can now potentially use this to assess whether a man is going to pass autism on to his children, said Michael Skinner, professor of biological sciences at Washington State University and corresponding author on the study. It is also a major step toward identifying what factors might promote autism.
The researchers identified 805 different DNA methylation regions that can potentially act as an epigenetic biomarker for susceptibility to father offspring with autism. They tested their findings by attempting to identify fathers who did or did not have autistic children just from their sperm samples. In blind tests of 18 men, they correctly identified all the fathers, except for two false negatives, an accuracy rate of about 90%.
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Is Pdd Hereditary From Mother Or Father
Is PDD hereditary from mother or father? Many new, and aspiring, parents are asking themselves this very question. According to Dr. Moshe Ipp, as referenced in the New England Journal of Medicine, 3 to 8 percent of families who already have a child with PDD will have another child with PDD. The genetic link isnât fully understood, but it is being actively studied.
In Autism It Depends On Which Parent Passes On The Genetic Abnormality
- Date:
- Duke University Medical Center
- Summary:
- While it has been known that genetic abnormalities are implicated in susceptibility to autism, new research by Duke University Medical Center researchers has added another variable the particular parent who contributes the defective gene can determine whether or not the child acquires autism.
PHILADELPHIA — While it has been known that genetic abnormalities are implicated in susceptibility to autism, new research by Duke University Medical Center researchers has added another variable the particular parent who contributes the defective gene can determine whether or not the child acquires autism.
The researchers point out that autism is an extremely complex disease with a wide spectrum of behavioral manifestations and it is likely that other genes or environmental factors are involved. However, their sophisticated genetic analysis has for the first time suggested that a phenomenon known as genetic imprinting is at work in autism and that it appears to be an important factor in the disorder.
Genetic imprinting is a process by which a gene’s expression is governed solely by which parent donates the gene copy, rather than by the classic laws of Mendelian genetics, in which genes are either dominant or recessive. Imprinted genes typically become inactivated, or turned off, during the development of egg or sperm cells, or shortly after fertilization.
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Brain Development And Autism
The brain develops differently in autistic children compared with typically developing children.
In young children, the brain is developing all the time. Every time a child does something or responds to something, connections in the brain are reinforced and become stronger.
Over time, the connections that arent reinforced disappear theyre pruned away as theyre not needed. This pruning is how the brain makes room for important connections those needed for everyday actions and responses, like walking, talking or understanding emotions.
In autistic children, the brain tends to grow faster than average during early childhood, especially during the first three years of life. The brains of autistic babies appear to have more cells than they need, as well as poor connections between the cells.
Also, pruning doesnt seem to happen as much in autistic children. This means that information might be lost or sent through the wrong connections. The lack of pruning might also explain why the brain seems to be growing faster in autistic children than in typically developing children.
Its not yet clear what causes this difference in brain development.
Find Other Parents Who Will Understand And Support You
“It always has been invaluable to have other parents who are going through the same thing as you are, to call them up and say I cant believe this is happening to me today. Because to the rest of the community, the things that happen to us, theyre really not the norm.” Ruth Singer Strunck, the mom of two young adults with autism
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Prioritize Independence And Communication
After baseline medical needs are met and you figure out how to deal with the everyday, I recommend that parents pay particular attention to the areas of communication, self-help and socially appropriate skills. A child who has a high academic ability, but poor communication skills, hygiene or a proclivity to hurt others will greatly limit their opportunities.
Nicole Sugrue, Port Washington, New York
Be Grateful For The Strong Connection You And Your Child Will Forge
In reflecting over the last 24 years of our journey, I will say this: My son gives me 100 kisses and hugs every day, he is always happy to see me and he will always be with me. He doesnt lie and he doesnt judge. He is welcoming to anyone that wants to enter his world. On the other hand, my father sees me about twice a year since we live 1,000 miles apart. So which dad is better off? Its not better or worse, its just different. Once you understand that, your road will be smoother.
Scott Sanes, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
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If My Older Child Is Diagnosed With Asd What Are The Chances Any Other Children Would Have Autism
Parents may take genetic tests to determine if their defective gene was passed on and led to their child developing autism. Research conducted at Duke University Medical Center found that this happens through a process called genetic imprinting.
Genetic imprinting goes against the typical laws of Mendelian genetics where genes are either recessive or dominant. In genetic imprinting, genes become turned off shortly after fertilization, or during the development of egg or sperm cells.;
Imprinting affects a genes development, and through testing, genetic specialists can trace the pattern of inheritance of a disorder between parent and child.