With the recent outbreak of measles around the country. There has been a lot of controversy over the use of vaccines and the link to autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder that is characterized by the impairment neuro-development, social interactions, and communication. In a study conducted by Dr. Stephen Scherer of The Hospital for Sick Children in Ontario, a question about the inheritance of autism was posed. Dr. Scherer sequenced the genome of 85 families in which two siblings had autism. The results of the study showed that in 69.4% of the sibling, the autism related, genetic mutations were different. These sibling also displayed more variability in their symptoms than 30.6% of the siblings who had the same autism risk gene. Research conducted by the CDC shows that in a pair of identical twins, if one sibling as autism, the other twin has a 36-95% chance of developing the condition. Although these findings were surprising, Dr. Scherer realized that more than 100 genes are involved in the prognosis of autism, because of this it makes sense that different genes are involved rather than the same genes.
Many time when parents have one child with autism and are expecting a second child, they will modify the autism gene that is identified in the older child, through gene therapy in the younger child. Dr. Scherer's study shows that, although one gene may influence the older child, it may not necessarily be the same gene that is affecting the younger child. I found this article to be interesting, because New Jersey has one the highest rates of autism in the country. I never realized that autism could in fact be hereditary, and that parents of an autistic child, have a higher rate of having another child with autism. This study can be used to help parents intervene early in the diagnosis of their child and understand that although they may have several autistic children, the disorder may not have the same origin.
Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288574.php
Secondary Article: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
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