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Corrie... sorry, it's taken me awhile to respond. I've only been able to pop in for a few minutes here and there b/c my brothers and sister and spouses and kids were in and it was INSANE lol. Anyway, I felt the same way when I heard the dx... which is weird because we had suspected it for a long time. But the same day I had to keep telling myself that nothing has changed... he's still the same kid he was a few hours ago... because I kept feeling sad and wondering what I had done wrong! The psychologist had spent a lot of time asking questions about his birth circ_mstances, which were a bit traumatic, and I felt like maybe if I had just had my c-section before 24 hours of labor that would have made a difference! I was beating myself up, but I have come to the conclusion that I think Nathan's is hereditary, because when the psychologist was going over his behaviors and history and was telling us what some of the warning signs are w/ Asperger's my dh said he's sure he has it. He has things that I think are stimming behaviors (tongue chewing (almost constantly), repet_tive tapping, etc.)... his mom thinks so, too, because she had 5 kids and she's always said that Phil would tantrum for no reason A LOT and that he was always "different" from other kids in general and from HER other kids.

To sahmof3. You said that you had a traumatic birth and blamed that.... but now think it’s hereditary.... I too had a c section; my son was premature and is now autistic... I am studying a BA in Special ED and work in a Special needs school for autistic children... What I can say to you is from my research I believe that all the PDD spectrum disorders are genetic... It’s the environmental triggers that are different. For instance... my son and his dad both have similar traits... however different things would have triggered the gene in both of them.... I think this is why we see such a huge range in the spectrum... it is down to the triggers the gene. Hope this makes sense.

I disagree. PDD spectrum disorders are not all genetic nor has it ever been linked as such. My child is the only one in my entire family with Asperger's. No one in our family on either sides shows any characteristics and/or traits. My other child is perfectly fine w/o any issues as well. Certain types of spectrum disorders can be genetic, but more are not. Asperger's is occurring in rapid numbers across the US, mainly in boys. (1 out of 130). These numbers are alarming. Links are currently being evaluated from the vaccinations to food preservatives. There is hope that a cure will be found.

sahmof3...I would recommend you get the book "Asperger's Syndrome, A Guide for Parents and Professionals" by Tony Attwood. It was like my "Bible" when trying to understand Asp and how to cope. Tony Attwood is the best when it comes to knowledge of Asperger's. You will find it very helpful, if you haven't read it already. :)

Corrie.. yep you are right.. I should have said Autism and the genetic Links and not PDD.. I personaly am not aware of the genetic link to all PDD spectrum disorders.. However with autism there is a lot of evidence to there being a genetic link.. as for the food perservatives and other possible causes I think these are triggers of the gene.. this said not everyone that have the gene for this will then have the envrionmental triggers that could cause autism. Sorry if I affended you.. still learning and am glad to have any in put..

crysania...No need to apologize, I wasn't offended:)

I don;t have a child with Asperger's but my sisters son has it. He was diagnosed a few weeks ago after continuous tests. He is 5. He was diagnosed with ADHD at 3 years old and this was after a lot of fighting to see if there was something wrong. No one expected this to be the outcome. They also believe him to be Bi-Polar and he is being tested for this too. His sister was diagnosed with ADHD about two months ago and will turn 4 in September. My sister is at a complete loss as to how to help him, the school has no idea and he seems to only be getting worse (as is his sister). They are the most loving children but the issues they have to overcome I can't even fathom. She has tried changing their diet etc and that didn;t work so both of them are on the medication now and unfortunately it works. She hates 'drugging' them but if they don't take the medication then they are completely off the charts!

My son is 9 with severe autism but is really smart. He just started an excellent program to get him "dependent ready." I am not sure or what you mean by dx'd though? I am sorry but no can pay me or convince me that his autism is from genetics---not even a little bit!

I have a question for all of you ladies- I am new to this site and just read all of your responses. I know I am just jumping in, but want to ask you all a question, if you dont mind. How old were you when you had children, especially those with autism? I am just curious? Were you over 30? Over 40? Please, it is just something I have been thinking about. Plus, did you eat fish while pregnant? Did you microwave a lot while pregnant? Hope you dont mind the questions. I am s spec ed teacher and am pregnant with my first and am curious as to know what you have to say!

when I mean, how old were you, I mean how old were you AND your husband when you had your child with autism? sorry for the correction.

reneelane... dx'd = diagnosed. I don't believe that all cases of autism are hereditary, but in my own son's case I'm almost 100% positive. There are so many similarities b/w my son's behaviors and what my MIL describes with my dh when he was young. Kitzy... I don't mind at all. I was 25 and my dh was 31 when Nathan was born. I ate fish about once every 1-2 weeks. Microwaved probably at least once a day. Although, those variables were also the same for my other two kids who don't have Asperger's or any form of autism (except dh and my age, of course LOL... I was 29 and 30 and dh was 35 and 37... when I had them).

Ok- so age may not be a factor....it just crazy how we dont know what is causing this. autism is so common these days, its scary. i mean, it is nice knowing that your child is smart and has potential, but i see cases where the child is really bad and cannot communicate at all. just sad. any other thoughts about what may cause autism?

kitzy... On another forum that I'm on for Asperger's/autism/PDD-NOS, etc. I've noticed that people will ask the question a lot, "Do you or your sigificant other have traits of autism?" and it seems that there are always tons of people with kids with less severe forms of autism that say that they or their spouse were dx'd with Asperger's or that they strongly suspect that they or their spouse have it (like with me... my dh hasn't been dx'd, but in going through the interviews with the psychologist when she was trying to determine whether to dx Nathan, my dh had enough of the traits to qualify!). But, I also notice that people with kids with more severe forms rarely see anything in their family. Not that that is research, by any means!... I just find it interesting that I see the same pattern over and over. Sometimes I wonder if it's actually more than one condition and researchers just don't know enough about it and the causes to be able to separate them... (all of the categories on the spectrum). Just something I sit and think about LOL.

May I ask, what are some of the traits that your dh has?? Out of curiosity. From what you notice, it is usually the father of the child with the traits for the child to have it or does it vary from father to mother? Have you seen children with Asperger's have grandparents with the traits? I am wondering if it goes from generation to generation or if it is just random. I always thought that Autism was caused by murcury and/or other cuases enviornmental and/or partly genetic, but mostly murcury. I wish I knew what really caused this. I ask about the grandparents of the child with autism, b/c my father might have characteristsics of aspergers. He is really really smart, but isnt very social and doesnt get along with many people. That is why I am wonderng if you could tell what the traits are and/or if you have seen Aspergers pop up in families with paents/grandparents who might have similar traits. I hope this makes sense. Sorry, just rambling... :-)

Hi I am a mother of a three year old with Autism. He is currently on the severe end of the spectrum but we are in the early stages of therapy so we are very hopeful!!!!

My son has Aspergers... he is 4 and was diagnosed this summer. It is amazing what I have found out about Aspergers since I was given the diagnosis. My son's biggest "issues" is the aggression and anxiety. What are others doing for therapy? My son was turned down for insurance due to his Aspergers.. that is a bunch of BS if you ask me.