Whole Genome Sequencing Provides Surprising Results Regarding Autism among Siblings

 

An article posted recently in the New York Times addresses the link between siblings and autism, the results are somewhat shocking. After looking at 85 families and 100 genetic glitches that are linked to autism, geneticists have found that siblings who are diagnosed with autism don’t share the same genetic risk factors of the disorder. Siblings with autism have been seen to have different behaviors. Both parents and doctors were surprised by these results. In order to study these 85 families genetic material, scientists used whole genome sequencing. Whole genome technique looks at the entire voluminous recipe, at every biological mistake.

 All 85 of the families had two children who were diagnosed with autism. After looking at the 100 genetic glitches, geneticists found that 30 percent of siblings had the same genetic mutations, but 70 percent did not. This shows the diversity of autism and shows the need for more research on this topic. Due to this information, the process of determining the likelihood of having a second child born with autism will have to be altered.

The findings of this article shocked me. I would have assumed that siblings who are diagnosed with autism have the same genetic glitch. I am always hesitant to believe an article only supported by one experiment. After reading a quote from a scientist who wasn’t involved in this study, I feel more confident in the results. Dr. Yong-hui Jiang from the department of pediatrics and neurobiology from Duke University School of medicine stated, “The study is very well designed, the end result is somewhat surprising, and it reiterates the complexity of the underlying genetics of autism.”