Will My Second Baby Have Autism, Too?

A new study in Pediatrics says the recurrence risk of autism in younger siblings is higher than previously thought. Hardly comforting to autism families who want a second or third child and not surprising to me, mom of three daughters with autism.

In 1999, my husband and I were considering having a third child. Mia and Gianna (4 and 3 years old at the time) had just been diagnosed with autism. Mark and I wanted answers. At the advice of our pediatrician, we sought genetic counseling. The geneticist at a top children's hospital said the chance of a third child with autism was perhaps 25 percent. He told us it was, at best, a guess. New Year's Eve 1999 arrived, we partied per the Prince song, and nine months later Bella arrived with a birth history that may have lead to her autism diagnosis.

The previously estimated risk was 3 to 10 percent. The new study shows a 26 percent recurrence for males and 32 percent for infants with more than one older sibling with autism. In short, nothing practical has changed in 11 years. I'm all about the practical, so what to do in 2011?

Answers could stem from the recent California Autism Twins Study (CATS), the largest ever study of twins with autism, which questions the scientific assumption that autism is genetic, instead pointing the finger at environmental causes. If autism is environmental, not purely genetic, we should be able to prevent and treat autism if we can determine the triggers. That's good news.

Talk to your doctor about steps you can take for an overall healthy pregnancy and to limit potentially harmful environmental exposures to your baby. Some suggestions are easier to swallow than those giant prenatal vitamins, like eat organic, healthy food and avoid household and work chemical exposures. Limit tuna and swordfish intake. If you opt for a flu vaccine, ask for a mercury free version -- available through county health offices or your pediatrician. You can also read "Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide," co-authored by Jerry Kartzinel, M.D.

If you do have a second child on the spectrum, your experience with your first will make the process easier. I hope I serve as proof that a family can thrive and prosper. Children aren't appliances, they don't come with warranties and guarantees. My girls are my joy. And while I'd take away their autism for their sake, their dad and I love them just the way they are.

At the end of the day, we simply don't know how to prevent autism, yet. The Combating Autism Act is up for re-authorization, and unless it focuses on treatment and prevention -- which means determining causation, along with caring for those who are here, like my three girls -- parents will live with this sword of Damocles over their heads forever. Tell your congressman, senator and doctor that treatment and prevention are a priority for this diagnosis that continues to grow faster than any other childhood disease. You can make a difference for your own children, and your grandchildren too.

 

Follow Kim Stagliano on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KimStagliano

Comments

[littleaspiegirl]

09:36 PM on 08/24/2011

As an adult woman with Asperger's I understand your concern about autism. I am the first to admit childhood and even my teen age years were tough but my adult years continue to get better. I have found places I fit in and have small but close group of friends and a husband who is a neurotypical.
What I am trying to say is it does get better. We are bombarded with images of children with ASD but we never see adults who have learned to live and thrive in society. It does alarm me to hear people say they want to prevent or cure autism. I am happy with who I am and proud of all that I have achieved. Asperger's is part of who I am and I would have it no other way. To all those parents out there watching their kids go through the pain of ASD take heart, I am not the only successful Aspie out there I know hundreds more including many members of my family.

[J R M]

08:09 PM on 08/22/2011

There appears to be a genetic component to autism, but there clearly appears to be environmental triggers as well. I doubt that timersol is a major contributor - it has been looked at rather carefully. I would wish full fledged autism on no-one, but high functioning autism is not a curse. Most of your abstract scientists and engineers fall into this category, and they do quite well thank you, even if the popular culture makes fun of them.

As one might guess, I fall into this category as well and have a daughter that does as well. While her mother has problems dealing with her different way of viewing things, I have no problem and she is following my guidance without undue difficulty. Next year she will be jumping to community college rather than go to 11th grade - using the running start program - and is on course for an engineering degree.

Misusing an old phrase, "Vive la differance!"

[Chantal Sicile-Kira]

12:18 PM on 08/21/2011

"Children aren't appliances, they don't come with warranties and guarantees. My girls are my joy. And while I'd take away their autism for their sake, their dad and I love them just the way they are."

Exactly. Great way of putting it, Kim!

When I think of Jeremy and his autism, I don't want to change who he is, or the strengths he has thanks to his autism. What I want is to make life easier for him - to get rid of the things that create the most difficulty for him to be as independent as possible, and to be more comfortable in the world we live in so he has an easier time being who he wants to be. He wants to be more independent - he doesn't want to need adults around all the time to supervise or assist.

But his challenges due to autism are significant. Not intellectually, but sensorily and physically. I love him the way he is for who he is. I just want life to be easier for him. Everything people do that that we take for granted in daily life - using gross and fine motor skills for every day tasks, getting to the toilet and getting your pants down in time - is a huge struggle for him, which he works on every day.

[Kim Stagliano]

01:33 PM on 08/21/2011

In the words of Arthur Fonzarelli, "Exactamundo!" :)

[Taximom5]

09:12 AM on 08/21/2011

I had a documented allergy to thimerosal from way back in the 1980's, when I reacted to it in eyedrops.

But nobody told me it was in vaccines, in spite of the fact that I dutifully told every doctor I went to, and every doctor I brought my children to.

My children ALL had severe reactions to vaccines--and it took years before the pediatrician said, "we now know that those WERE adverse reactions to the vaccines, they should have been reported, and your kids shouldn't have any more.". Prior to that, his partners, and the nurses in the practice insisted thar "vaccines don't do that" (they do), or that "all vaccines were thimerosal-free since 2001" (the same office was using multi-dose, THIMEROSAL-PRESERVED vials in 2004, and still uses multi-dose vials for flu shots).

Two of the kids and I have gluten intolerance. Mine was triggered as an adult by 4 vaccines I received at once.

Genetics?

Yeah, right. I passed my genetic susceptibility to mercury and VACCINE REACTION to my kids.

[ArtsyJane]

02:16 PM on 08/22/2011

Allergies and food intolerences are usually genetic, though they develop in different points in time and vary in nature- a parent may be allergic to macadamia nuts, whereas his kid is allergic to pine nuts, etc. But the tendency to have food allergies is usually genetic.

Now, my question to you is this: what does this have to do with autism?

[Taximom5]

04:38 PM on 08/22/2011

Mercury toxicity is known to cause symptoms consistent with autism. I had a documented reaction to mercury in eyedrops, and was told to avoid anything with thimerosal for the rest of my life--but the doctors who administered vaccines to me (and my kids) never told me that those vaccines contained thimerosal--AND I TOLD THEM MY HISTORY OF THIMEROSAL REACTION.

Allergies and food intolerances are not necessarily genetic, by the way--there are several studies on PubMed showing that they can be caused or triggered by vaccines.

Take a baby with a genetic susceptibility to allergy to, say, eggs, and inject him with one vaccine containing egg protein and three others containing adjuvants (which elicit a stronger immune response), and then watch as he develops a severe egg allergy....and yes, this happened to my friend's child.

[LATEACHER1X]

11:20 PM on 08/20/2011

Aspertame, the #1 sugar substitute in this country was approved around 1980-81, even though studies in monkeys resulted in neurological problems.

[ArtsyJane]

02:16 PM on 08/22/2011

Aspartame is a big time carcinogen.

[lshumaker]

12:37 PM on 08/20/2011

Great article, Kim. Our oldest son has autism, sons 2 and three do not but I wonder about THEIR children. We shall see. Admire you so much for your devotion to your girls and the cause!!

[ArtsyJane]

02:19 PM on 08/22/2011

Your sons who do not have autism should not transmit it to their kids. Autism is transmitted though the X-chromosome, which means that any male who is not himself afflicted cannot be a carrier. However, the kids of your afflicted son, may (or may not) get it from him.

[jened]

12:09 PM on 08/20/2011

"I would take away the autism for their sake, but their father and I love them just the way they are." Kim, you're a class act. It sure seemed to me that certain doctors/journalists who seem to be mouth pieces for pharma, were conspicuously quiet on the new CATS (twins) study that does point to environmental causes for autism. A new study also shows an increase in ADHD, too. Those who work with kids see these increases and it is frightening.

[Marie67]

12:06 PM on 08/20/2011

My daughter was born the week my son was diagnosed with autism. Looking back we realized my son was developing normally and had a severe reaction to his 18 month vaccines. We decided to do everything different for my daugther -- no vaccines, no prescription or over the counter drugs, organic diet, vitamins and mineral supplementation, water filters, cleaned up the toxic chemicals at home, essential oils, etc. (my son greatly benefited from this as well, but the damage to him was done). My daughter is brilliant -- 6 years old and reads at a 10 year old level. She knows every country in Europe, Asia and South America, all US states and capitals, etc. She is never sick and growing tall -- just perfect. I realize now we did alot of dangerous things for my son during such a delicate time in his life -- chemicals in the water, food, vaccines, his clothing, not giving him the vitamins and minerals he needs (they are not in most food anymore). Loading him up on antibiotics, tylenol, etc. I am a firm believer that genetics has little to do with it. Keep in mind, siblings live in the same environment and conduct a similar life style -- why is that ignored as a contributing factor?

[LATEACHER1X]

11:22 PM on 08/20/2011

Why? So the promoters and profiteers who pollute cannot be held accountable. That's why.

[ArtsyJane]

02:31 PM on 08/22/2011

Autism usually cannot be diagnosed much earlier than 18 months. That's about the time when these vaccines are administred as well, hence the confusion. While mercury may be a trigger factor of some sort, which is yet to be proven, it is quite clear that the prevalence of autism is of genetic essence. All the vaccines in the world will not change anything in the brain of a child who does not have autism, as evidenced by the hundreds of millions of kids who receive those vaccines every day in all industrialized nations, and never become autistic. Because vaccines are so widely used, any actual link to a disease would be very easy to establish and it would be considered a pandemic, which this is not.

Sibling studies do take in account the similar environment in which siblings grow up. More important though are parent/child studies and cross generational studies, which establish links through whole families and several generaions in a row with autism and ASDs.

In Europe, the genetic basis of autism has been taken in account for years. For some reason, here in America, people continue to believe it is not genetic-based. I don't understand why. Why do people keep denying this? Does it make them feel good? What's the point?

[cia parker]

11:55 AM on 08/20/2011

The news about siblings of autistic children being at much greater risk of autism themselves was another attempt to normalize the epidemic, by suggesting that's it's due to a genetic anomaly more common within certain families. It's similar to the Korean study on the news a couple of months ago about some degree of autism being much, much more common than anyone knew, an attempt to say it's not that bad since such a huge number of children has it, most of whom are not that unusual, it's not really a problem. Brian Williams has not said a word about how maybe there are genes that run in families that produce an unusually vigorous immune system response to the foreign antigens in vaccines, and subsequent autism after inflammation of the brain (autism), asthma after inflammation of the lungs from the pertussis vaccine, bowel disease after inflammation of the intestines from the MMR. The package inserts of all vaccines say that encephalitis and autism are accepted adverse reactions to vaccines. The Merck manual defines encephalitis as a reaction to a disease or to a vaccine. If these siblings had not gotten the vaccines the way the autistic one had, they would not have developed autism themselves.

[AutismNewsBeat]

08:38 PM on 08/21/2011

"foreign antigens"?

[cia parker]

06:27 PM on 08/22/2011

Antigens are anything that elicits an immune response, I guess by their nature they are foreign to the immune system. The vaccines have pathogens and a variety of chemicals, any of which can provoke an auto-immune response from the host.
Cia Parker

[Dyson]

05:56 AM on 09/11/2011

Cia, the human infant is exposed to hundreds of different "foreign antigens" every day, many of which are directly or indirectly introduced into the systemic circulation.

I know the temptation to see vaccines as a scapegoat is great, but the biological plausibility of quaint theories like this (as well as research evidence) is quite deficient.

[Mamadealess]

08:35 AM on 08/20/2011

Are you sure to recommend "Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide" from Jenny McCarthy?..do you really believe that what is inside is true?

[TannersDad]

07:36 AM on 08/20/2011

Kim you have a way of making the complicated simple, highlighting the many ways we are abusing kids and wasting resources. I stand by my nomination of you as the first Canary Party Presidential Candidate. Your Passion, drive, and voice gives great inspiration. Thank You! TannersDad Tim

[Denisehh3]

05:18 AM on 08/20/2011

I'm inclined to think that Autism has something to do with the wiring, and the firing of electricity, in the brain that somehow affects the nerve system.......I think it's a glitch....... out-of-sync......somewhat of a mis-fire that intercepts and causes an imbalance in the cruical chemical composition that makes the brain function as it does.........it affects emotions, rendering the patient withdrawn, trance like, excited or agitated.......every person with this issue reacts differently to certain degrees.......at any given time frame.......

[Gatogorra]

09:48 PM on 08/19/2011

Find the cause and care for those who are already here. Amen.

[kabika]

07:12 PM on 08/19/2011

i thing it genetic, and the environment play a big role, like vaccined in some . i have two kids with autism both received vaccines, when i had my 3 kid i refused to give him vaccine he turn out ok , he doesn't have autism.

[Gina Badalaty]

05:02 PM on 08/19/2011

My kids' story is completely different. My first daughter has Mosaic Down syndrome, not a sign of autism. I remember the day my CVS results for my 2nd daughter, no genetic abnormalities...I got down on my knees in gratitude. Now I look at the irony that is my life: an older girl who can improve as her cells regenerate (and already has), and a younger child far more delayed at the same age than her older sibling, thanks to autism. Weird! So I don't feel like it's fair when they say, "It's strictly genetic." I don't see it in either my or my husband's family. I will write my congressmen...we need to get to the bottom of the causes.

[ArtsyJane]

02:38 PM on 08/22/2011

Mosaic Down Syndrome is genetic, but not necessarily heriditary, which means that it usually appears "de novo" with that particular child, like regular Down Syndrome might.

Autism is genetic AND usually heriditary, although you may not see it as such in the family. It is transmitted by the X-chromosome, which means that if it comes from the female line, you may not see any autistic ancestor back for generations, as females can be carriers without being affllicted.

But I do agree with you about writing to your congressmen - it is indeed a good idea to come to the bottom of this.