Siblings & Autism: How Are Kids Affected by Special Needs Brothers & Sisters

It's a question that not everyone asks or even thinks about, unless you are the parent to more

than child and especially if you are a parent of a child with special needs and a child/children with no special needs.

How are your other children affected by your aspergers child?

An estimated five million "developing" Canadian children have siblings with some type of disorder (eg., ADHD, Austism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Downs, Depression), and often these children can feel left out, pushed behind the parental wall while parents focus on the child with special needs, and left feeling empty, alone and un-loved.

When Trace was born, JJ was seven years old. He was so excited to have a little brother. Heck, he was excited just to have a sibling that belonged to him. He had dreams and plans, things he wanted to do with his brother, how he wanted to be a big brother and dreams for the future of their relationship.

Childhood Vaccines Cleared of Autism, Diabetes Link in New Report U.S. Institute of Medicine finds "very little evidence" of serious harm

From Nature magazine

Vaccines are largely safe, and do not cause autism or diabetes, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) said in a report issued today. This conclusion followed a review of more than 1,000 published research studies.

"We looked very hard and found very little evidence of serious adverse harms from vaccines," says Ellen Wright Clayton, chairwoman of the reporting committee and director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. "The message I would want parents to have is one of reassurance."

The report, commissioned in 2009 by the US Health Resources and Services Administration, covers the eight vaccines that comprise the majority of claims filed with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which compensates people for adverse health effects from any of 11 vaccines.

ADHD and Autism Have Common Genetic Link

Researchers identified more genes in ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and shows that there is an overlap between some of the genes and those found in other neuropsychiatric conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. ASD is a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication. Symptoms usually start before age three and can cause delays or problems in many different skills that develop from infancy to adulthood according to NIH.

The study is published in advance online editions of Science Translational Medicine by a research team, which was led by Dr. Russell Schachar, Senior Scientist and Psychiatrist at SickKids and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Stephen Scherer, Senior Scientist at SickKids, Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics at SickKids and the McLaughlin Centre at the University of Toronto.

The researchers used microarrays (gene-chip technology) to study the DNA of 248 unrelated patients with ADHD, searching specifically for Copy Number Variants (CNV), which are insertions or deletions affecting the genes.

Of the 173 children, researchers found 3 had spontaneous CNV's that occur when the parents are not affected and mutations are new to the child. Also, rare CNVs that were inherited from the affected parents were found in 19 of 248 patients.

Researchers found some of the genes that had previously been identified in other neuropsychiatric conditions including ASD. To test the overlap, they tested different group for CNV. Of the new group, they found that nine of the 349 children in the study, all of whom had previously been diagnosed with ASD, carried CNVs that are related to ADHD and other disorders.

The finding emphasize that CNVs have a common genetic link in ADHD, ASD and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

"For the first time, we've tested these genetic alterations in ADHD and have a pretty good handle on a couple of decent ADHD candidate genes," says Scherer "This is critical, as it gives us confidence in interpreting our results."

Most individuals with ADHD also have at least one other condition, such as anxiety, mood, conduct or language disorders. Up to 75 per cent of people with ASD also have attention deficits or hyperactivity. "A lot of these associated problems probably arise from the fact that they are sharing genetic risk for different conditions," says Schachar

This method is perhaps one of the most exciting findings in neuropsychiatric genetics and it is really starting to redefine how we think about neuropsychiatric conditions," said Schachar.

Researcher’s emphasis that whiles the new study was able to observe the link more research is needed to determine the cause.

Published by Medicaldaily.com

Your child was diagnosed with a developmental disorder, now what?

Receiving such a diagnosis can be overwhelming.  Attention deficit disorder. Autism. Asperger Syndrome. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified — otherwise known as PDD-NOS.  more

Top Ten Expectations for Parents when Raising Children with Autism

1. Expect a lot of advice and suggestions from friends and family.  Understand some of this advice may not be productive, realistic, or made with a true understanding of the nature of the problem.

2. Expect that your child may have social challenges. He or she may not fit in with peer group.

3. Expect you may need to advocate for your child in some settings. The setting could be school or community

4. Expect that your child may place additional demands on your family system.

5. Expect that your certain tasks may not come easy for your child. He or she may need tasks broken down.

6. Expect your child may have trouble with transitioning from one place to another.

7. Expect that you may need to be proactive in addressing issues or challenges your child faces.

8. Expect you need to educate yourself more about your child’s diagnosis.

9. Expect you and your partner need to be on the same page regarding parenting issues. 

10. Expect that your child will bring great joy  to you regardless of these challenges.

      National Autism Association