Multiple Births & Autism

Autism is a neurobiological pervasive developmental disorder with a strong genetic component. There are numerous risk factors for autism, one of which is having twins, triplets and so on. Autism does not in and of itself cause harm to the person who has it. The brain of a person with autism is different from that of a person who does not have autism, and it is this that causes numerous stereotypical "autistic" behaviors.

Risk Factors

• There are a few documented risk factors that may result in child having autism, such as the age of both the father and mother at conception, the child's exposure to Rubella while in utero and being a twin. Being a fraternal twin appears to have a slightly smaller risk of developing autism, and it is not uncommon for one twin to have autism when the other does not; however, identical twins usually both develop autism. Although there has been some speculation of whether fertility drugs are a cause of the higher rate autism in multiple births, the theory does not appear to have validity upon further testing

Statistics

• As of 2010, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that an average 1 of every 110 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder, but the rates vary wildly depending on the state, with Minnesota ranked first in autism prevalence. The prevalence of twins with autism is unknown and has only been studied in those twins that were previously considered "at risk" from having a sibling or parent on the autism spectrum.

Significance

• According to "Neuroanatomical and neurocognitive differences in a pair of monozygous twins discordant for strictly defined autism" amongst other studies, if one identical twin has autism there is a 63 percent to 98 percent likelihood the other twin will have it as well. For fraternal twins, the chance of both twins having autism is between 0 and 10 percent. The chance that siblings develop autism is about 3 percent, which is higher than the risk factor if no siblings had autism. It has been estimated that the rate of autism amongst identical twins may be as much as 12 to 14 times higher than the general population.

Expression

• Many people assume that everyone with autism is a "Rain Man" or has traditional/Kanner's autism, and this is not only untrue but actually appears to be quite rare since Asperger's syndrome, PDD-NOS and High Function Autism are the most common types or degrees of autism. In fact, most families with more than one member with autism will notice that while one may be more affected than the other, all types of autism have similar inherent difficulties. One twin may be non-verbal and aggressive, while the other may be extremely verbal and friendly. There is absolutely no way to tell an autistic person from someone who is not autistic just by looking at them, and for those who are higher functioning, you may not be able to tell at all.

Prevention, Cures and Misconceptions

• Unfortunately, because the causes of autism are unknown, there is no way to prevent a child from developing it. Many people believe that the MMR combination vaccine may be a cause of autism, but several major studies have disproved this theory. The few studies that have shown otherwise have been small and inconclusive for the most part, and some have been discredited by ethics committees. There is currently no cure for autism, although as of 2010, there has been promising research into a drug to help reduce symptoms in those with severe autism. Many children with autism are otherwise treated with a combination of medication, in case of severe symptoms or comorbid disorders such as Tourette's or epilepsy, vitamins, diet and intensive therapy according to the particular child's needs.