What are the chances my baby will be autistic?

Question

My dad and step mom had two children and they are both autistic but I'm fine so what can i do to prevent my daughter from being autistic I'm 32 weeks now and was wondering about that and i heard she could get it from her shots they'll give after birth! i think it was the mmr or something like that

Answer 1

The US government estimates that the risk for autism spectrum disorders in the US is around 6.7 per 1,000 children (CDC link).  

The largest risk factors appear to be:

a male child

being born prematurely

increasing parental age

parental history of mental disease

In regard to vaccines, ask your health care provider about the amount of metal (for example, mercury OR aluminum) ANY medication/vaccine contains.  Data indicates that these types metals, as environmental pollutants or vaccine additives, CAN pose neurological health risks to babies and patient populations with impaired kidney function (FDA link).  Further, giving multiple vaccines in a single doctor’s visit CAN exceed the recommended exposure to these toxins for an infant or small child.

The other people here are naive if they think toxins such as mercury or aluminum are not associated or cannot induce neurological problems in humans.

Knowing someone that does or does not have a child with Autism who did or didn't engange in some activity (like getting shots), does not make for knowing the risk factors for autism!  We need science for that!

Answer 2

The chances of your baby becoming autistic from shots is very low. With autism, there really is nothing you can do to prevent it. If your child has autism just love him like you would any other child and provide the necessary love/help/care your child will need. I think you will be fine. If you are not autistic and neither is the baby's father, you will be fine. It seems like the autisim in your father's kids is a genetic from their mother (your step mom) and not him. So you will probably be fine.

Also the MMR does NOT cause autism. The link below is an article about it.

Good luck and take care.

Answer 3

my ex is one of 10, and only 1 of his older brother has autism. (he is the baby of the boys) and my son is fine. i dont know what causes autism but its not preventable.

Answer 4

Your chances of having a child with autism goes up the more relatives you have in your family with it, but that doesn't mean your child will have it. They still don't know exactly what causes it. Vaccinations is still up in the air. It has not been proven. If it was they would take them off the market. I don't think you should be worrying about this right now since there is nothing you can do about it if if she is born with it. It hits the male population more so than the female.

I have two friends with children that are autistic and both never had any shots. That just goes to prove it has nothing to do with the shots.

These people just want something to blame it on.

Answer 5

My daughter's father brother is extremely autism, so I have read a lot about this. First off, females are less likely to be autist then males, about 100 to 1. Second they can not link the shots to autism because they could only dignois a baby with autism at 18 months old. I wouldnt dismiss the shots (i was thinking about it) because autism or not babies can live a long life, while the disease that the shots prevent could kill your baby (sorry to be so harsh!)

If your step mom and your dad had two babies and you are find maybe the autism gene is in your step mother. Although genes are not proven to be a factor in autism, nothing is. There is still a lot of questions out there for autism, and there is nothing proven to prevent it. Until they can find the issue, is when we could stop the problem. At this point there isnt anything you can do, just love your child no matter how they turn out.

I am still worried, also checkign to make she my daughter is growing right reacting right, that sort of thing.  

Answer 6

Nothing you do prevents or causes autism. It's just one of those things and if it happens you deal with it. I personally don't believe the link between the MMR jab and autism. My eldest had the jab and is a very healthy smart little boy. On the other hand my youngest did not have it and has kanners syndrome (classic autism)

Answer 7

there's nothing you can do to prevent it, but if you're concerned, talk about it with your doctor.  she can't get it from the shots they give her...so don't worry about that.  the shot that is concerning to many parents is the MMR that they're given at 2 years.  though that CAN cause autism, it is a very small chance...less than the normal chance.  you can ask the doctor to split the shot into two doses.  take one at 2, and one a month or so later.  she'll still get the full dose that she needs, but there is less concern that way.  plus, if you're fine, and it's your step mom that produced the children with autism, perhaps it is here that is carrying the gene for it, and not your dad.  if that's the case, you have the 1 in 500 chance that veryone has. best of luck to you!