Thread

Autism is genetic – and why this information matters now

100 points · 116 comments · AndrewDucker

zug_zug · 1789601058 · focus · HN ↗
I feel like this is a willfully confusing article. So autism may involve disrupted genetics, but you may not have inherited those genes from your parents, they may be what are called "de novo mutations" which are mutations to the sperm or egg cells in the parent. This is evidenced by autism being more prevalent when the parents are older and those mutations are more common.
Also it clearly must be to some degree mutations if you believe the rates are going up, which even the government is no longer disputing (though that may not be conclusive proof, to me it seems evidence leans to more likely than not currently).
De novo mutations can also be caused by environmental factors, this is very well established and called "genotoxicity"[1] and certainly some people have been exposed to known genotoxic chemicals to varying degrees over time (formaldehyde) and who knows what undiscovered ones there are, newer standards of pesticide testing are starting to look for reproductive health effects but many chemicals that have been in use for a long time haven't been held to the highest standard.
Another reason you might think it would be "de novo" mutations is that this could be any sorts of random errors in the genome. If autism is an umbrella label for various genome errors (which it very well may be, since it correlates with other conditions very often), that may explain why it's so hard to pin down a few genes and why symptom expression varies so drastically.
1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genotoxicity" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genotoxicity
1. LoganDark · 1789612330 · focus · HN ↗
  I wouldn't characterize it as "disrupted" genetics. Autism makes the world go round, if there were no autism we'd lack most of the innovations we take for granted today. There are other differences that can co-occur with autism to cause issues, but autism itself feels like a normal and beneficial genetic variation.
  1. watwut · 1789627726 · focus · HN ↗
    Citation needed. Frankly, it sounds like a bullshit claim.
    LoganDark · 1789629467 · focus · HN ↗
    In any case it feels like "disrupted" is the claim that needs citations. It's possible to study autism without treating it as inferior.
  2. bcjdjsndon · 1789634984 · focus · HN ↗
    Have you ever spoke to parents who need to give their severely autistic child 24h care for the rest of their lives?
    LoganDark · 1789646486 · focus · HN ↗
    Are you one? Usually that happens because of other issues, not purely autism. If you have a motor disorder, or are unable to speak, or are unable to process language etc, that can happen whether you're also autistic or not.
    Regardless, I never said autism can't be a disability or that autistic people can't be disabled or otherwise disordered compared to "normal". Just that I wouldn't treat autism itself as the one general problem.
    bcjdjsndon · 1789647693 · focus · HN ↗
    The parents of severely autistic non verbal children needing round the clock care don't consider it "a normal and beneficial genetic variation".
    > Just that I wouldn't treat autism itself as the general problem.
    You wouldn't, because you've clearly got it mild.
    A lot of people say they struggle in life, and that autism would explain a lot.... What about the very real possibility your simply below average? A lot of people have to be, 49% of the entire planet to be precise, so it's hardly unlikely you couldnt possibly be below average.
    LoganDark · 1789651720 · focus · HN ↗
    I never said being non-verbal or needing care around the clock was "a normal and beneficial genetic variation". I said those things would be a problem whether you also happen to be autistic or not.
    > You wouldn't, because you've clearly got it mild.
    This is getting into personal attacks. Back off, you don't know me.
    > A lot of people say they struggle in life, and that autism would explain a lot...
    This is completely different than what you were just talking about. I didn't even dispute this.
2. strideashort · 1789625051 · focus · HN ↗
  I am pretty sure neuro prevalent type is the disruptive one
3. dwroberts · 1789628286 · focus · HN ↗
  How does any of this contradict what is written in the article? It already mentions eg Rubella infection during pregnancy as a causative agent, which would be an example of it not being directly inherited
4. Llamamoe · 1789632872 · focus · HN ↗
  TLDR of the article is that it's yet another person confusing "heritable" with "genetic". Genes aren't the only thing we inherit from out parents - and in fact there's strong preliminary evidence that the gut microbiome plays a major role in autism.

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