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Will my child have autism?

by Patricia

I’m at an age where many of my friends are making decisions about whether to have children. None of my friends have children diagnosed with autism, but they know about my interest and expertise in the subject. So they ask me if there is a way to prevent their child from having autism. 

My answer has always been simple. “Not to my knowledge.”

Now that the University of Washington has launched the first autism prevention study, my answer may change.

The research project will study 200 infants with siblings who have autism and assess whether early intervention for this high-risk group can prevent the development of autism.

The 200 infants participating in this research will be watched closely — not only by the researchers, but by many concerned parents. Parents interested in preventing autism will be anxiously awaiting the results. Me, too.


 

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  1. aaron Says:

    January 14th, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    terry im just wondering if u have autism as i do and me and my gf are thinking of having kids and are not sure if they will go through a simlar torment of my school life but i do have adhd too

  2. April Says:

    January 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Thank you Kristi for posting this. I find it amazing what people who are scared are willing to believe. My son (3) was diagnosed when he was 2 and his older sister (5) is typically developed. I agree with you that there isn’t one cause and there isn’t going to be an answer on why our children have autism for quite some time. All we can do is love them for who they are and do everything in our power to help them reach their highest potential.
    Have a Blessed day!