just concerned

[Calistaco]

My baby's dads brother has aspergers. What are the chances my baby to be will have it?

[Akita0419]

Sorry for the double post.

[Akita0419]

Its possible that your child may have Asperger's because it's biological uncle has it, but at the same time Asperger's could be a random gene mutation. Asperger's is interesting like that and could be misdiagnosed as ADHD. When my dad learned from my mom after getting an evaluation, that I had mild Asperger's as well as mild ADHD, my dad finally understood why I didn't learn well from him, he said that I had to have gotten the Asperger's from him, blaming himself, but it may not have been inherited. I have mild Asperger's because I had a mother who was willing to help me, and according to a Psychologist, I'm one of the few lucky ones who have kind of 'outgrown' it, thanks to my mother. But as I said, Asperger's is either inherited or just plain random in gene mutation I think. So don't worry about it too much. Everything will be OK I'm sure. Good luck with your baby! ;)

[Akita0419]

Its possible that your child may have Asperger's because it's biological uncle has it, but at the same time Asperger's could be a random gene mutation. Asperger's is interesting like that and could be misdiagnosed as ADHD. When my dad learned from my mom after getting an evaluation, that I had mild Asperger's as well as mild ADHD, my dad finally understood why I didn't learn well from him, he said that I had to have gotten the Asperger's from him, blaming himself, but it may not have been inherited. I have mild Asperger's because I had a mother who was willing to help me, and according to a Psychologist, I'm one of the few lucky ones who have kind of 'outgrown' it, thanks to my mother. But as I said, Asperger's is either inherited or just plain random in gene mutation I think. So don't worry about it too much. Everything will be OK I'm sure. Good luck with your baby! ;)

[Jason C Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is unknown.  There are strong genetic correlates with autism.  People with an identical twin with autism are much more likely to also have autism than people with a fraternal twin with autism and people with a sibling with autism are more likely to have autism than the general population is.  That being said, the vast majority of children born to parents who have siblings with autism do not have autism.  There is no mathematical, exact probability that is known at this point for what you are asking.  If at any point you have concerns, seek out an evaluation.  The earlier a diagnosis is given, the better the prognosis, and a solid decision about diagnosis can often be made as early as two years of age.