Autism is the collective name for a group of developmental disorders called the “Autism Spectrum Disorders”. People with autism spectrum disorders often have a great deal of trouble communicating and often have difficulty with social interactions. Autism symptoms can be very subtle, or they can be rather debilitating.
Autism does tend to run in families. Autistic children often have autistic siblings, especially if they are twins. In fact, if a family has one autistic child, there is a one-in-five chance that their next child will have autism too. Because autism tends to run in families, there is likely a genetic component to the disorder. However, the exact way in which the genetic component of autism operates is not known. Like many hereditary conditions, your genes give you a certain likelihood that you will have autism. Other factors like the environment also play a role in deciding which individuals develop autism.
One thing that makes it difficult for researchers to pinpoint the genetic component of autism is that autism is a spectrum disorder, with a broad range of symptoms. These symptoms may be caused by different things for different people. It is difficult to research a condition where different triggers cause different symptoms for each person that it affects.
Since the genetic component of autism is not well understood, it is likely to be a while before any genetically-based treatment for autism is developed. Fortunately, research is currently underway regarding many aspects of autism. The more we understand about autism, the better we will become at treating it. Developing new treatment options for autism is very important because many children respond well to treatments for autism and go on to lead near-normal lives. While research has yet to explain the hereditary component of autism, the treatments that have been developed for autism in recent years provide a great deal of hope to those who have been diagnosed with autism.